http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1939/sep39/f17sep39.htm
USSR invades Poland
Sunday, September 17, 1939
In Poland... Soviet troops enter Poland. Naturally because of the German attack there is almost no defense in the east. The Soviets employ two army groups or Fronts. The Poles have only 18 battalions in the east of their country. Just before dawn, the Red Army invades along the entire 800-mile (1300 km) border. Poles are surprised and Soviet forces advance virtually unopposed. Meanwhile, the Polish government is fleeing towards the Romanian border, evacuating from the border town of Kuty — the fifth and last temporary seat in the Polish provinces. All surviving Polish aircrew fly to Romania. In Warsaw, St. John’s Cathedral is bombed during mass; the dead are buried in public parks because the cemeteries are full. Warsaw is now completely isolated as converging German forces of German Army Group North and Army Group South meet at Siedlce, in eastern Poland. Some 40,000 Polish prisoners have been captured by the Germans at Kutno and Brest-Litovsk is taken after a bitter 3-day battle. German are given a stop line because of the Soviet invasion in the east.
In Moscow... Soviet Commissar for Foreign Affairs, Molotov, announces that the USSR is invading to protect Ukrainian and Belorussian minorities in Poland. Soviet newspapers have been making claims of “brutal treatment” of national minorities in Poland, especially Ukrainians and Belorussians. The Soviet government promises to respect Finnish neutrality and recognizes Slovakia as an independent state.
In Athens... The Italian government assures the Greek government that it will take no military action against Greece even if Italy enters the war.
In the North Atlantic... The British aircraft carrier, HMS Courageous, is sunk by U-29 while on anti-submarine patrol off the southwest coast of Ireland. More than 500 men are killed (514 of 1200 crew members). After this second incident, carriers are withdrawn from such work. Courageous has been one of the most effective of the British carriers.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HMS_Courageous_(50)
Courageous served with the Home Fleet in the Channel Force at the start of World War II. On 17 September 1939, under the command of Captain W. T. Mackaig-Jones, she was on an anti-submarine patrol off the coast of Ireland. Two of her four escorting destroyers had been sent to help a merchant ship under attack. During this time, Courageous was stalked for over two hours by the U-29, commanded by Kapitänleutnant Otto Schuhart. Then Courageous turned into the wind to launch her aircraft. This manoeuvre put the ship right across the bow of the U-29, which then fired three torpedoes. Two of the torpedoes struck the ship on her port side, and she capsized and sank in 15 minutes with the loss of 518 of her crew, including her captain. She was the first British warship to be lost in the war; the civilian passenger liner Athenia having been sunk two weeks earlier.
An earlier unsuccessful attack on HMS Ark Royal by the U-39, on September 14, and the sinking of Courageous three days later, caused the Royal Navy to withdraw its fleet carriers from anti-submarine patrol.
http://uboat.net/boats/u29.htm
17 Sep 1939
After the sinking of British fleet carrier HMS Courageous British destroyers attacked the boat with depth charges for 4 hours until the boat managed to slip away with minor damages (the destroyers had also expended all their depth charges). (Sources: Blair, vol 1, page 90)
http://www.uboataces.com/battle-courageous.shtml
Sinking of HMS Courageous
On September 15 1939, a convoy contact was made due west of the English Channel, in an area the British called the Western Approaches. The sea lanes were abuzz with traffic and some successes against British shipping had occurred in the early days of the war. To provide at least some form of protection for these ships, the Admiralty had deployed the old aircraft carrier HMS Courageous with a destroyer escort screen to conduct anti-submarine patrols.
Launched in February 1916 and commissioned in January 1917, the HMS Courageous was originally laid down as a Battle Cruiser, being converted into an aircraft carrier between June 1924 and May 1928. A hangar and flight deck were installed aft of the hull with the original armament of two twin 15-inch guns being removed and replaced with 4.7 inch anti-aircraft guns. The light armament meant that she had to rely on her screening escorts for protection against surface ships.
HMS Courageous Battle Cruiser HMS Courageous Aircraft Carrier
HMS Courageous battle cruiser photograph in 1917. HMS Courageous after conversion to aircraft carrier, 1935
When Donitz received word of the convoy contact, he ordered all boats in the Western Approaches to converge on the convoy. That included Otto Schuhart in U-29 and Ernst-Gunther Heinicke in U-53. Searching for the convoy on September 17, Heinicke found and attacked the 5,000 ton British freighter, Kafristan with a combination of gunfire and torpedoes. The ASW fleet of the HMS Courageous was close by. Two of her destroyer escorts (out of four) and Swordfish biplanes from the Courageous were dispatched to the area of the Kafristan sinking to hunt Heinicke.
Meanwhile to the east, Schuhart in U-29 was still searching for the convoy. While running submerged, he spotted a Swordfish biplane instead. A Swordfish 300 miles out in the open sea could only mean one thing – that an aircraft carrier had to be close by. Keeping a sharp watch, at 1800 hours a puff of smoke was spotted on the horizon. It was the carrier Courageous. Schuhart sent his crew to battle stations and adjusted for an interception course.
But he could not mount an attack. Planes were circling over the carrier and the two remaining destroyer escorts were clearly visible. He later wrote in his log “At that time it looked like a hopeless operation. Because of the aircraft, I could not surface and my underwater speed was less than 8 knots while the carrier could do 26. But we were told during our training to always stay close and that is exactly what I did, following him submerged”.
Schuhart trailed on for another one and a half hours, all the while losing distance with the carrier. Then suddenly at 1930 hours, the carrier turned into the wind to launch aircraft, inadvertently placing the ship in perfect position for a torpedo attack. By 1940 hours, U-29 was in position and Schuhart fired all three forward torpedoes from less than 3,000 yards. Schuhart logged “the vast size of the target upset all normal calculations and in any case, I was looking straight into the sun”.
HMS Courageous
HMS Courageous had an air group of 2 squadrons of Swordfish aircraft, 48 planes in total.
Just 500 yards away, while the torpedoes were still making its run, Schuhart observed through his periscope lens as one of the destroyers sailed by, still unaware of the impending attack. To evade, he dived deep – to a depth of 180 feet, the deepest he had ever dived. Then, in the creaking silence of U-boat’s pressure hull, the crew heard two resounding explosions. Two torpedoes had it the target and exploded with such force that Schuhart thought he had been attacked. The crew cheered, although they all knew what was to follow next – an impending depth charge attack.
They braced themselves for the attack and minutes later, one of the destroyers picked up the U-29 on sonar. The second destroyer rushed to the location to join the hunt and both attacked with such fury and ferocity that during the pounding, Schuhart thought he had lost the U-29. The boat reeled and creaked under the force of the explosion which lasted for hours. Then at 2340 hours, the last depth charge exploded. Both destroyers had expended all depth charges and were now weaponless in attacking the enemy down below. Silently easing away, Schuhart in the U-29 made good his escape. As soon as he surfaced, he radioed to Donitz, “Courageous destroyed. U-29 homebound”.
Meanwhile, back at the sinking of the Courageous, a Dutch passenger liner Veendam was passing nearby. Eye witnesses account that a huge white cloud had engulfed the Courageous. They thought it was a smoke screen and paid little attention until two tremendous explosions ripped through the carrier. Pieces of steel and dismembered aircraft shot upwards as with the flames and oil slick which soon followed. The Courageous sank in less than 15 minutes with the loss of 519 lives, including her commander Captain W T Makeig-Jones. Her total complement was 1,260 officers and ratings (including air group), and two squadrons of Fairey Swordfish aircraft (48 planes). The Veendam and a British freighter Collingsworth participated in the rescue, fishing survivors from the oily waters.
HMS Courageous sinking
HMS Courageous sinking after being torpedoed by U-29.
By the next morning of September 18, news of the sinking had been broadcasted worldwide. The sinking of the HMS Courageous was the first U-boat offensive against the Royal Navy, and more importantly, Schuhart’s victory prompted the Admiralty to withdraw all three remaining carriers from the Western Approaches. The first naval engagement turned out to be a resounding victory, as carriers were not to be seen in those waters for another four years.
This was precisely what Donitz had wanted, as the withdrawal of ASW vessels allowed his U-boats to continue with their sinkings unabated. Politically, Hitler was neither pleased, nor displeased. He was still hopeful of a diplomatic solution with Great Britain and did not want to further antagonize the Western Powers by sinking a major capital warship. However, no specific orders had been issued otherwise and in fact, the Kriegsmarine was ecstatic. Donitz noted gleefully in his diary “A wonderful success”.
Schuhart was awarded the Iron Cross First Class and the entire crew the Iron Cross Second Class. In tonnage sunk for a single patrol, his tally was 41,905 tons which was to stand as a record high for a very long time.
The U-29 was a Type VIIA U-boat, an oceangoing boat which had four bow and one stern torpedo tube.
HMS Courageous was sunk on September 17 1939 at 1940 hours at the Western Approaches (Southwest of Ireland), Grid BE3198, 150nm WSW of Mizen Head, Ireland. Her sister ship, the HMS Glorious and her two escorting destroyers, Ardent and Acasta was to suffer the same fate on June 8 1940, during an attack by two German battle cruisers, Gneisenau and Scharnhorst.
I’m betting the peace struck between the Soviets and Japan yesterday is starting to switch some light bulbs on in some people’s heads.
NAVAL EVENTS-Sunday, 17 September
Norwegian Sea - German steamer CLARE HUGO STINNES I (5294grt) which had run aground on Raftsund on the 9th was refloated on this date and taken to Trondheim to offload her cargo on the 21st. With a damaged bottom, she remained at Trondheim until early October when she left for repairs at Tingvold arriving on 6 October. She underwent repairs until 7 April 1940, then left Tingvold for Ulvik in Hardangersfjord. This move did not save her during the Norwegian campaign as she was soon captured by Norwegian forces, but only until 20 April when she was recaptured by German naval forces.
ARK ROYAL, Northwestern approaches - aircraft carrier ARK ROYAL with destroyers FURY, FORESTER, FORTUNE, FEARLESS departed Loch Ewe for her second anti-submarine patrol NW of Ireland. Destroyers SOMALI and MATABELE sailed ahead to search for a reported submarine in the area of Tory Island. FORTUNE was later detached to join.
On the 17th seven miles west of Tory Island, steamer BARON LOVAT (3395grt) was attacked by a submarine and ARK ROYAL’s aircraft sent to search the area.
With the loss of COURAGEOUS, ARK ROYAL and escorts were ordered to return to Loch Ewe at 1400/18th. Still on the 18th, ARK ROYAL’s aircraft sighted a submarine in the afternoon, which FURY unsuccessfully depth charged.
Destroyers SOMALI, MATABELE, FORTUNE rejoined the force at 1545/18th. SOMALI and MATABELE were again detached at 2047/18th to assist British trawler LORD MINTO which was under attack. ARK ROYAL arrived in harbour at 0950/19th.
British northern waters - heavy cruiser NORFOLK departed Scapa Flow on patrol. Returning on the 20th, she was ordered to proceed through Fair Isle Channel, due to submarine activity in Pentland Firth and arrived back on the 21st.
Battleship NELSON departed Scapa Flow, unaccompanied, and arrived at Loch Ewe that evening.
Destroyer MASHONA arrived at Scapa Flow.
Destroyer FAME departed Scapa Flow escorting British tanker SAN ALBERTO (7397grt) to Invergordon. FAME arrived back at Scapa Flow on the 18th with tanker MONTENOL.
British west coast - patrol sloop PC.74, operating as decoy ship CHATGROVE, was damaged in a collision with British trawler TOM MOORE (194grt) at Liverpool. PC.74 was repaired at Liverpool completing on 4 October.
U.32 laid mines in Bristol Channel, which sank two merchant ships.
British east coast - sloops BITTERN and ENCHANTRESS, both escorting an east coast convoy, separately attacked submarine contacts off Flamborough Head.
North Sea - submarine SEAHORSE departed Dundee on patrol on the 16th, and now on the 17th, attacked U.36 at 1200 while she was searching a Danish merchant ship 100 miles east of Montrose. Three torpedoes were fired at 1210, with one apparently hitting, but not exploding. U.36 examined neutrals Norwegian steamers IRIS (1177grt) and ELDRID (1712grt), Swedish steamer NORMA (1287grt) and Danish steamer OSLO (1412grt) on the 17th.
U.41 captured Finnish merchant ships VEGA (1073grt) and SUOMEN POIKA (1099grt) in the North Sea at 58N, 04E and sent both ships back to Germany with prize crews.
Baltic - Polish submarine SEP (Lt Cdr Salamon), with two compartments flooded and diving planes inoperative, arrived at Landsort, Sweden, for internment.
Dover Straits - patrol sloop KITTIWAKE struck a British mine at 1900 in the Goodwins-Ruytingen minefield two miles east of South Goodwin Light Vessel and only a few cables from minesweepers sinking shallow mines. She was badly damaged with one rating killed and four missing from the blast. Cdr E R Conder was blown off the bridge and later picked up by a trawler. Minesweeper HARRIER took 39 crewmen on board and towed KITTIWAKE to Dover. On 7 October she was towed by tugs GONDIA and SIMLA to Sheerness and under repair until 18 January 1941.
English Channel - minelaying-cruiser ADVENTURE, escorted by destroyer BEAGLE, departed Dover to return to Portsmouth where they arrived safely.
UK-France convoys - DB.4 departed Southampton with troops and arrived at Brest on the 19th.
MB.4 departed Southampton with eight cargo ships carrying war materials and arrived at Brest on the 19th.
BC.1F of steamers FENELLA and TYNWALD departed Quiberon Bay escorted by destroyers KEITH and VIVACIOUS. The convoy safely arrived at Barry Roads on the 19th.
BC.1S of steamers BARON MINTO, BELLEROPHON, and TRELAWNEY departed the Loire, escorted by destroyers ELECTRA and ESCORT. The convoy arrived in Bristol Channel on the 19th.
UK-out convoys - OA.6 departed Southend, while destroyers JUNO and AMAZON departed Devonport to escort the convoy from the 17th to 20th. The destroyers arrived back at Devonport on the 21st.
OB.6 departed Liverpool escorted by destroyers WINCHELSEA and WALPOLE.
Loss of aircraft carrier COURAGEOUS - COURAGEOUS (Capt William Makeig-Jones) was on anti-submarine patrol 350 miles west of Land’s End with destroyers INGLEFIELD, INTREPID, IMPULSIVE, IVANHOE. The distress call from KARIFISTAN was received and COURAGEOUS flew off four aircraft and detached destroyers INGLEFIELD and INTREPID to assist. One of the aircraft dropped a bomb on U.53 causing her to dive.
Then U.29 sighted COURAGEOUS and fired two torpedoes at 1920. They exploded port side and COURAGEOUS sank at 2015.
IVANHOE made three anti-submarine attacks at 2000, 2017, and 2028 during a five hour search and IVANHOE and INTREPID searched until daylight. Destroyers KEMPENFELT and ECHO submarine hunting in the area went to assist.
Light cruisers CARADOC and CERES and destroyer KELLY investigating a possible submarine contact off Land’s End received the COURAGEOUS SOS and sped to the scene to rescue survivors. INGLEFIELD arrived back at 2335.
American steamer COLLINGSWORTH (5101grt), steamer DIDO (3554grt), Dutch liner VEENDAM (15,450grt) also rescued survivors. DIDO picked up 23 officers and 195 five ratings. The survivors were transferred from the merchant ships to INGLEFIELD and KELLY, and arrived at Devonport on the evening of 18 September. INTREPID escorted steamer DIDO to Liverpool.
U.29 left her patrol area for Wilhelmshaven for refuelling with only one torpedo left.
Southwestern approaches - destroyer ANTELOPE with destroyer JACKAL in company attacked a submarine contact 15 miles SSW of Land’s End.
Destroyer KELLY, 70 miles SW of Land’s End made three attacks on submarine contacts early on the 17th.
U.53 attacked steamer KARIFISTAN (5193grt) at 1445, 280 miles WSW of Fastnet in. She was able to get off a radio report before being sunk by U.53. Six crewmen were lost and the survivors were picked up by American steamer AMERICAN FARMER (7430grt).
Spanish and Portuguese coasts - French large destroyers LE FANTASQUE, LE TERRIBLE, L’AUDACIEUX patrolled off the Spanish coast from the 17th to 19th.
Light cruiser CAPETOWN departed Gibraltar as escort with SL.1 and arrived back on the 27th.
Mediterranean Fleet - arrived back at Alexandria after covering Mediterranean convoys GC.1 and Green 1.
Indian Ocean - Light cruiser GLOUCESTER departed Mombasa and arrived at Aden on the 22nd.
FROM AHF-Reports of Third Panzer Division-September 17
The 3rd Pz received the task of watching the sector Brest-Litowsk-Wlodawa.
At 07:00 hours the Division informed that the enemy was resisting in Wlodawa yet, the I./SR. 3 went to the attack on Zt. Wlodawa.
At 07:06 it informed that patrols of I./PR 5 (Wendenburg) reached the railroad Chelm - Luboml to the east of the Bug river (elements of the 4. /PR 5).
At 10:00 hours it was reported that the railroad and road bridges south of Okopy were blasted by the Wendenburg Group.
At 10:50 hours the CP of the 3. Pz Brig around 9 kilometers to the north of Wlodawa.
At 17:00 hours the Corps Commander visited the 3 Pz whose CP was in the Station of Tomaszowka.
17 September, 1939
After learning of the Soviet Invasion, Marshal of Poland Edward Rydz-Smigly, orders all Polish Units to retreat in to Romania.
His speech:
“The Soviets have entered.
I order a general retreat to Romania and Hungary by the shortest route.
Do not fight the Bolsheviks unless they assault you or try to disarm your units. The tasks for Warsaw and cities which were to defend themselves from the Germans - without changes.
Cities approached by Bolsheviks should negotiate the issue of withdrawing the garrison to Hungary or Romania.”
—Edward Rydz-smigly, Commander-in-Chief of the Polish armed forces, September 17 1939
Many Polish units will never hear this broadcast, as things are now complete choas in Poland, for Polish forces.
The German Ambassador in the Soviet Union (Schulenburg) to the German Foreign Office
No. 372 of September 17
Reference my telegram No. 371 of September 16.
Stalin received me at 2 o’clock at night in the presence of Molotov and Voroshilov and declared that the Red Army would cross the Soviet border this morning at 6 o’clock along the whole line from Polozk to Kamenetz-Podolsk.
In order to avoid incidents, Stalin urgently requested that we see to it that German planes as of today do not fly east of the Bialystok-Brest-Litovsk-Lemberg Line. Soviet planes would begin today to bomb the district east of Lemberg.
I promised to do my best with regard to informing the German Air Force but asked in view of the little time left that Soviet planes not approach the above-mentioned line too closely today.
The Soviet commission will arrive in Bialystok tomorrow or day after tomorrow at the latest.
Stalin read me a note that is to be handed to the Polish Ambassador tonight, to be sent in copy to all the missions in the course of the day and then published. The note contains a justification for the Soviet action. The draft read to me contained three points unacceptable to us. In answer to my objections, Stalin with the utmost readiness so altered the text that the note now seems satisfactory for us. Stalin stated that the issuance of a German-Soviet communique could not be considered before two or three days.
In future all military matters that come up are to be handled by Lieutenant General Karstring directly with Voroshilov.
SCHULENBURG
No. 374 of September 17
Reference your telegram of the 16th, No. 358. (1)
On the occasion of my visit of today, Stalin informed me that the Turkish Government had proposed to the Soviet Government the conclusion of an assistance pact that was to apply to the Straits and the Balkans. The Turkish Government desires a pact with a restrictive clause whereby Turkey in rendering aid to the Soviet Union would be obligated only to such actions as are not directed against England and France.
The Soviet Government is not greatly edified by the Turkish proposal and is considering proposing a clause to the Turkish Government to the effect that the Soviet Union on its part would not be obligated to any action directed against Germany. Stalin requested our reaction to this idea, but made it clearly evident that he considered the conclusion of the assistance pact in suitable form as very advantageous, since Turkey would in that case surely remain neutral. Voroshilov, who was present, added that such a pact would be a “hook” by which Turkey could be pulled away from France. Request instructions.
SCHULENBURG
The Polish Government, with Poland’s president Moscicki and Prime Minister Slawoj-Skladkowski, will cross into Romania at around midnight on 17 September 1939 through the border-crossing in Zaleszczyki.
On Sept. 17th, the remnants of the Polish Air Force flee to Romania:
17 P.37s of Bomber Brigade’s initial strength of 86 aircraft flew to Romania, all the P.23 Karas bombers having been either destroyed or damaged beyond repair.
16 of the initial 64 P.23s from the army reconnaissance squadrons made it to Romania.
Lotnictwo Wojskowe lost 333 aircraft, 260 as the result of enemy action.
Of these, around 100 were destroyed in combat, and a further 120 as the result of sustained damage. Only 25 combat aircraft (as opposed to many training and civilian airplanes) were destroyed on the ground.
Aircrew killed numbered 61, 110 were missing and 63 wounded. When comparing the combat potential of both sides, this is by no means a bad result for the Polish Air Force.