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http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1939/sep39/f18sep39.htm

Polish leaders flee, urging troops to fight
Monday, September 18, 1939

In Romania... The Polish president, Moscicki, and the Commander in Chief, Rydz-Smigly, enter Romania and are interned. They leave behind messages telling their troops to fight on.

In Poland... Soviet forces have advanced 100 km into Poland, meeting little resistance. The German 3rd and 10th armies begin attacking Warsaw. Members of the Polish cipher bureau, with vital knowledge of the German Enigma code, flee the country and head for Paris.

In Copenhagen, Helsinki, Oslo, Stockholm and Reykjavik... In simultaneous announcements, Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden and Iceland declare that they intend to continue trading with all belligerents to protect their economic existence.

In Berlin... A week after making his first broadcast to Britain, the Irish ex-Mosleyite William Joyce is given a contract with German radio.

In the North Atlantic... SS Kensington Court is shelled and sunk by a German U-boat; 2 RAF Sunderland flying boats rescue 34 men.

http://www.gwu.edu/~erpapers/myday/displaydoc.cfm?_y=1939&_f=md055374

My Day by Eleanor Roosevelt

SEPTEMBER 18, 1939

WASHINGTON, Sunday —Friday night in Danville, Va., we had only a very short time to get ready for my lecture, but Mayor Meade and his wife met us at the station and drove me straight to the hotel to change. They were both most kind. It was a great pleasure to see Governor Price also at the meeting.

The lecture was sponsored by a group of young business men called the Exchange Club. They told me they put on one entertainment a year for the benefit of an underprivileged children’s fund, the money being distributed by school teachers. They give clothing and assistance, thus enabling the children to go to school.

The war has already touched Danville. The fall in sterling and the uncertainty about shipping caused British buyers to withdraw from the tobacco market and close it down. Danville is, of course, a tobacco center and many of the people are concerned. On the other hand, the cotton manufacturers are feeling encouraged that war will bring them additional orders.

We reached Washington Saturday morning and there at the station was my brother, who had routed out of bed one or two other people to come with him to meet us. He had insisted on being there, not only when the train actually got in, but by his New York watch— which meant that they had waited an extra hour. Nothing daunted, however, he agreed to wait another three quarters of an hour and bring his guests to breakfast with me on the White House porch, which was a very pleasant beginning to a busy day.

My first press conference of the season was at eleven o’clock. Then I went to see a friend, who returned to lunch under the trees in the garden. Little Diana Hopkins is staying with us and had two small friends join us.

Several appointments in the afternoon and, after dinner, an hour and a half at the Woman’s National Democratic Club. I hope that Mrs. McAllister, chairman of the women’s division of the Democratic National Committee, will feel repaid for the work she has done on this woman’s day. It should help to make Democratic women conscious of their responsibility in government.

If women of other political faiths listened to the first part of the broadcast, I feel sure that the facts given must have been of interest to them as well.

The heat is not so great in Washington, and one of my daughters-in-law, who arrived this morning, exclaimed as we sat on the porch at breakfast: “What a beautiful day!”

For me, however, it was quickly clouded, for when I went into the President’s room, he told me that at five, and again at six, o’clock he had to be awakened to receive dispatches announcing Russia’s entry into Poland.

A curious way to aid the cause of peace!

UBOAT Command War Log-18 Sept. 1939:

-U 34 reported that she had started her return passage, the first boat of the 2nd U-Flotilla.This flotilla has orders to remain in the operations area until ammunition and fuel are used up. The equipment has therefore sufficed for 18 war days in positions.

-U 38 and U 40 entered port.
Successes: U 38 sank Manaar 7,200 tons
Inverliffey 9,445 tons
14, 645 tons
U 40 no sinkings.

-The British radio published the sinking of the a/c carrier Courageous (22,500) tons by a U-boat. A wonderful success and further confirmation of the fact that the English defense forces are not as effective as they advertise themselves to be.

-A number of radio intelligence reports received during the last week show clearly that the enemy is introducing the convoy systems in the Mediterranean. Agents’ reports point to English troop transports leaving for France from Channel ports. U 35 has therefore been ordered to occupy area F and operate from there against these troop transports. It is also intended to attack them simultaneously from the North Sea. (War Log F.O. U/B West).

-The inadequate firing of torpedoes is causing grave concern. G7a and G7e torpedoes have repeatedly exploded after a run of about 250 meters, before reaching the target. In one case the boat was slightly damaged owing to this (U 27). The Torpedo Inspectorate does not know the reason at present. Everything is being done to remedy the defect.

-Towards midday C-in-C Navy arrived at Group Headquarters. He enquired into the process of the U-boat war and raised the question of sending U-boats to the Mediterranean to withdraw light Naval forces from the North Sea.

In my opinion it would not be a good thing, with the very few U-boats available at present, to split them up over too many theatres of war. The withdrawal of light Naval forces from the one area can also be achieved by transferring the war against merchant shipping to the areas West of Gibraltar and Portugal. This was already done with the first disposition and it is intended to continue on the same lines later.

Then C-in-C Navy spoke of the conduct of the war in general. He said that the next step he intended to take in the war at sea against England, before declaring unrestricted danger zones, was to declare danger zones only against English ships, not against neutrals. He wished first however, to hear F.O. U/B’s views.

I replied that in my opinion warfare limited to certain nations would not bring the desired results, because:

1) In most cases the U-boat, which has to wait submerged for a suspicious ship, cannot identify the ship’s nationality in time to attack without warning.
2) Presumably the enemy would very soon sail his merchant ships under the protection of neutral markings and flags.

The results would be:
a) either many neutrals would be sunk without warning as supposed enemies, which is just what we want to avoid
b) or many enemy ships would get away as supposed neutrals, which we want to avoid ever more.