*Also on #4, more on the strange affair of Unity Mitford.
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1939/oct39/f21oct39.htm
Gamelin does not intend to attack
Saturday, October 21, 1939 www.onwar.com
In Paris... General Gamelin, the Allied Commander-in-Chief, says that he has no intention of attacking the Germans. He has issued orders that if the Germans attack in strength, the French should retreat behind the Maginot Line fortifications.
On the Western Front... The opposing forces exchange artillery fire in heavy rain.
In Rome... An agreement is signed by the German and Italian governments for the transfer to the Third Reich of ethnic Germans in South Tyrol.
In the North Sea... RAF fighters shoot down 4 out of 9 He115 seaplanes attacking a British convoy. No casualties are suffered by the British aircraft, nor is any damage done to the convoy or escorts.
In the North Atlantic... The French Force de raide (including the world’s fastest destroyers) escorts a large Atlantic convoy (until October 30th) and intercepts the German SS Sante Fe.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Force_de_Raid
The Force de Raid was a French naval unit based at Brest until 1940. It included some of the most modern capital ships of its day organised into two squadrons, commanded at the outbreak of World War II by Vice Amiral Marcel Gensoul. The Force effectively ceased to exist as a separate unit after the British attack on Mers-el-Kébir.
Interesting that back then they referred to Helsinki as Helsingfors, I take it that’s the Swedish name.
NAVAL EVENTS-Saturday, 21 October 1939
The crew of the Norwegian steamer LORENTZ W HANSEN arrived on Norwegian tanker KONGSDAL (9959grt) at Kirkwall and brought news proving that both German pocket battleships ADMIRAL GRAF SPEE and DEUTSCHLAND were at sea. It had been thought that all the sinkings to date had been due to a single battleship.
Light cruisers GLASGOW and NEWCASTLE, at sea since the 12th, were sent to escort convoy KJ.3, then en route from the West Indies. They detached on the 24th and the convoy arrived at Land’s End on the 25th. NEWCASTLE reached Portsmouth on the 26th and GLASGOW on the 27th.
Destroyer FORESIGHT was boiler cleaning at Scapa Flow until the 26th.
Anti-aircraft cruisers CAIRO and CALCUTTA departed Grimsby on escort duty and arrived back the same day.
Anti-aircraft cruiser COVENTRY departed Immingham to support a convoy under air attack, and at sea, joined sister ships CAIRO and CALCUTTA with the convoy, which was escorted to Flamborough Head. COVENTRY experienced a steering gear defect and returned to Immingham, docking on the 26th for repairs completed on 14 November. She then left next day for duty at Sullom Voe.
Four former British anti-submarine trawlers arrived at Brest for duty as the French 13th Patrol Squadron. They were CANCALAISE (ex-ST AMANDUS, LV R R L Birot), HAVRAISE (ex-ST ATTALUS, EV Harduin), LORIENTAISE (ex-ST ANDRONICUS, LV F Drogou) and NANTAISE (ex-ST ARCADIUS, LV L M A Jaume). They went into service on 17 January 1940.
German steamer GLORIA (5896grt), which had departed Buenos Aires on the 6th, was captured by light cruiser SHEFFIELD on Northern Patrol in the Denmark Strait, six to ten miles off the north coast of Iceland. As GLORIA was being taken to Kirkwall by a prize crew commanded by Sub Lt S Phillips, three of her crew escaped in a lifeboat, but were later picked up and landed at Methil on the 28th. GLORIA was renamed EMPIRE CONVEYOR in British service.
German steamer POSEIDON (5864grt) departed Rio de Janiero on 1 September to return to Germany, but was forced to put into Mar del Plata on the 5th to avoid contact with light cruiser AJAX. She was finally able to leave for Germany on 1 October, but was captured during the afternoon of the 21st by armed merchant cruiser SCOTSTOUN north of Iceland in the Denmark Strait.
Heavy weather prevented a boarding party from being put aboard at that time, and it was not until the afternoon of the 22nd that Py/Lt C W Armstrong RNR and his men were able to go across. SCOTSTOUN then escorted POSEIDON for 29 hours before losing touch in thick snow.
Armed merchant cruiser TRANSYLVANIA finally found the missing ship early on the 25th, but she was incapable of steaming, taken in tow and proceeded towards Reykjavik with cruiser SHEFFIELD in company. When Icelandic waters were reached, SHEFFIELD detached and returned to Sullom Voe, being relieved on Northern Patrol by light cruiser SOUTHAMPTON. However, before reaching Reykavik, TRANSYLVANIA’s tow line parted in a gale and she was forced to sink POSEIDON with gunfire on the 27th.
Light cruiser DIOMEDE departed Sullom Voe for Northern Patrol between Shetlands and Faroes, and arrived back on the 25th.
Destroyers KELLY and KINGSTON arrived at Loch Ewe for operations with the Home Fleet.
Destroyer VALOROUS attacked a submarine contact six to seven miles east of Scarborough.
Minesweeper/escort vessel JASON attacked a submarine contact 2 miles 105 degrees from South Rock Light Vessel, Belfast.
Convoy OA.23 of 15 ships departed Southend escorted by destroyers ACASTA and ARDENT from the 21st to 23rd, and the convoy dispersed on the 26th.
Convoy OB.23 departed Liverpool escorted by destroyers VOLUNTEER and VERSATILE, which detached to KJ.3 on the 24th.
French steamer CAPITAINE EDMOND LABORIE (3087grt) was sunk two miles E of Inner Dowsing Light Vessel on a mine laid by U.19 on the 17th.
Norwegian steamer DEODATA (3295grt) was sunk 1.5 miles off Inner Dowsing Light Vessel in, by a mine laid by U.19 on the 17th, without the loss of any crew.
Steamer ORSA (1478grt) was sunk 15 miles 150 degrees from Flamborough by a mine laid by U.15 on 6 September, with the loss of 16 crew.
Light cruiser DAUNTLESS departed Aden en route to Colombo, and was ordered to examine the Cargados, Carajos, Chagos groups for German activity.
Hunter Force M with French heavy cruisers DUPLEIX and FOCH, and Force N with French battlecruiser STRASBOURG and British aircraft carrier HERMES, were reassigned to cover the Dakar to Pernambuco route:
(1) Force X, which became effective in mid-November, consisted of HERMES, DUPLEIX and FOCH, while
(2) Force Y had STRASBOURG, with French light cruiser DUGUAY TROUIN and the British NEPTUNE.
War Diary and War Standing Orders of Commander in Chief, Submarines
U 31 and U 53 sailed for their operations areas.
U 31 to mine Loch Ewe with TMB in accordance with operations Order No. 9 (the operation originally intended for U 32).
U 53 is to proceed first to an area southwest of Ireland. She is to operate there against merchant shipping until U 26, which is sailing on 22.10, has had time to carry out her minelaying operation.
21.10.1939
U-47 enters the Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft A.G. shipyard in Kiel for repairs.
Yes, a bullet in the brain will sometimes require hospital care and surgery.
It's interesting that she lived throughout the war and the collapse of Germany, but died fairly quickly under British medical care.