*Because I can’t resist a German Shepherd story.
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1939/nov39/f16nov39.htm
Nazis declare martial law in Prague
Thursday, November 16, 1939 www.onwar.com
In Occupied Czechoslovakia... An uprising in Prague is quelled. German authorities declare martial law in Prague. There are reports of many arrests, shootings and deportations.
In Bucharest... An offer of mediation made by Romanian King Carol is rejected by both sides.
In Britain... The cost of living is reported to have risen 2.5 percent in October.
In Finland... The armed forces are mobilized as the talks over Soviet demands for an exchange of territory break down in acrimony. The Soviets are seeking to protect naval bases at Leningrad and Murmansk from possible attack by demanding cession of strategic Finnish territory and the lease of Finnish ports in exchange for land in the desolate swamps and forests of Karelia. The Finns refuse.
“Czech Students Dispersed 5 Times by Nazis; Troops With Rifles Forced to Charge Crowds”
50 Years from now (1989), a memorial to remember the “Students Revolt” against the Nazi’s will explode in to the “Velvet Revolution”, when the unexpectedly huge crowd of 10,000 is dispersed by police using harsh measures.
The comparisons between the Nazi’s then, and the Soviets in 1989, along with this rememberence would be the trigger that frees the Czechs from Soviet domination.
By November 20 the number of peaceful protesters assembled in Prague had swollen from 200,000 the previous day to an estimated half-million. A two-hour general strike, involving all citizens of Czechoslovakia, was held on November 27.
By Nov. 28, the government will fall, and Václav Havel will be named the President of Czechoslovakia on December 29, 1989.
Naval Events Wednesday, 15 November, 1939
Convoy HN.2 of eight British and one Finnish steamer departed Bergen and was joined by destroyers ICARUS, IMOGEN and IMPULSIVE. The convoy was covered by battleships NELSON and RODNEY and accompanying forces which departed Rosyth on the 12th. ICARUS was relieved by destroyer IMPERIAL and then proceeded to Rosyth for boiler cleaning.
Destroyers ASHANTI and PUNJABI getting underway to join the battleships collided at Rosyth on the 15th, but the damage was not serious, and they and sister ship SOMALI, which departed Rosyth with them, joined the battleships at sea as planned. Destroyer MASHONA departed Loch Ewe on the 16th and joined the Home Fleet.
TARTAR, completing the escort of steamer MARYLYN to Stromness, joined them at the same location as sister ship MASHONA.
Destroyers ISIS and KANDAHAR were assigned to escort the three steamers of the west coast section of HN.2 when it arrived off the Shetlands. KANDAHAR had departed on the 15th to join the Home Fleet at sea, but was recalled for this escort duty. Destroyer WALLACE was assigned to escort the Tyne section of HN.2 but because of fog, had to anchor off the Tyne for an hour.
A submarine contact on the 17th did not hamper the convoy’s progress and HN.2 arrived safely on the 18th with IMOGEN, IMPERIAL and IMPULSIVE. The battle force arrived at Loch Ewe on the 17th, departed on the 19th and arrived in the Clyde on the 21st.
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On Northern Patrol, three cruisers were between the Orkneys and the Faroes, two cruisers and one AMC between the Faroes and Iceland, and one cruiser and three AMCs in the Denmark Strait.
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The deep minefield in the Clyde was begun and completed on the 18th in Operation CP.
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Destroyer FURY completed her repairs in the Clyde, but was retained in the Clyde to escort base ship MASHOBRA.
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Destroyer INGLEFIELD completed her repairs at Liverpool and departed for Scapa Flow.
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Sloop PELICAN and submarine TRIAD departed Rosyth to exercise outside May Island with RAF personnel. Both ships arrived back at Rosyth later that day.
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Polish destroyer GROM rendezvoused off North Goodwin Light with destroyers EXPRESS and ESK, which had sailed from Harwich.
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Destroyers BROKE and ECLIPSE were submarine hunting
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Convoy FN.37 departed Southend for Methil, escorted by sloops GRIMSBY, FLAMINGO, WESTON. Anti-aircraft cruiser CALCUTTA, destroyers JUNO and JUPITER departed Grimsby in support.
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Convoy FS.37 departed Methil escorted by escort ships VIVIEN, VALOROUS and sloop BITTERN. Minesweeper TEDWORTH sailed with the convoy for the passage south. VALOROUS developed condenser problems, was replaced by destroyer JAGUAR, and began repairs in the Tyne, which were completed on the 16th.
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Convoy BC.15 of ten steamers, including BARON CARNEGIE, BLACKHEATH, DEVON COAST and NIGERIAN (Commodore) departed Bristol Channel, escorted by destroyers VIVACIOUS, VESPER and VANESSA, and safely arrived in the Loire on the 17th.
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U.20 was attacked nine miles 90° from Tongue Light Vessel by British aircraft which called up destroyers KEITH and GRIFFIN. Destroyer GREYHOUND later joined in the search, but U.20 escaped serious damage and was able to lay mines off Newarp Light Vessel on the 22nd.
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French destroyer SIROCCO attacked a contact after a submarine was reported by an aircraft. Destroyers VELOX and VIDETTE, after leaving convoy HG.7, also searched the area.
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Australian light cruiser HOBART departed Colombo and arrived at Bombay on the 18th.
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Heavy cruiser SUSSEX arrived at Durban.
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German pocket battleship ADMIRAL GRAF SPEE sank steamer AFRICA SHELL (706grt) 10½ miles SW by S of Cape Zavora Light in Mozambique Channel in 24-40-42S, 35-12E. Submarine OLYMPUS on patrol in the Indian Ocean set off in pursuit, but failed to make contact.
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Admiral Wells of Force K transferred his flag to battlecruiser RENOWN, and aircraft carrier ARK ROYAL departed Freetown for England to refit and receive new aircraft. When news of the sinking of AFRICA SHELL reached the Admiralty on the 17th, ARK ROYAL was ordered back to Freetown.
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Light cruiser LIVERPOOL departed Colombo on the 15th and arrived at Singapore on the 19th for patrol duties on the China Station. She proceeded to Saigon and arrived at Hong Kong on 10 December.
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Canadian destroyers OTTAWA and RESTIGOUCHE departed Esquimalt, Canada, for Halifax on the east coast after being relieved in the Pacific by British light cruiser CARADOC. They refuelled on the 25th off the Isla del Coco off the Costa Rican coast from Australian light cruiser PERTH, which had entered the Pacific through the Panama Canal, refuelled again at Kingston and reached Halifax on 7 December.
These movements were to allow Canadian destroyers FRASER and OTTAWA to join the America and West Indies Station, and Canadian destroyer SAGUENAY which had been operating in the Caribbean since late September to return to Canada. However, heavy demands for convoy escorts caused OTTAWA to be retained at Halifax and FRASER did not arrive in the Caribbean at Kingston until 31 March 1940.
Canadian destroyer ASSINIBOINE arrived at Halifax on the 17th from Plymouth, and departed Halifax on 5 December for Jamaica, arriving at Kingston on the 8th to relieve SAGUENAY.
SAGUENAY arrived back at Halifax in mid-December and resumed convoy duties from that port.
ASSINIBOINE remained in the Caribbean until 31 March 1940 when she arrived back at Halifax after being relieved by FRASER.
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German trawler ELSE (141grt) was lost near Skargaard.
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Lithuanian steamers PANEVEZYS (1607grt) and NIDA (945grt) were sunk on mines near Tallinn.
Yet another bad day for the accident-prone Bristol Blenhiem squadrons, as three are lost, all to accidents.
1) A Blenhiem of RAF 57 squadron is forced to crash land by mechanical issues on the Gent-Kortrijk road near Waregem, Belgium. The crew of three (Sgt Gilmore, Sgt Turnidge, AC1 T.J.Jervis are interned by Belgium authorities.
2)A Blenhiem of RAF 600 Squadron crashes on takeoff at Hornchurch. Engine failed on night take-off, wing hit ground & DBR.
3)A Bristol Blenheim of RAF 108 Sqn flew in to the ground on initial climb out, during night flight training near Luggershall, Oxfordshire. Pilot Officer Kenneth Charles Harvey Jacobs, aged 19 killed.
16November, 1939-
War Diary and War Standing Orders of Commander in Chief, Submarines-Admiral Donitz
U 47 sailed for her operations area in accordance with Operations Order No. 11.
Group Headquarters West:
The next boats to be ready for operations will be:
U 31 and U 35 on 18 November
U 48 on 20 November
U 36 on 25 November
I intend to send U 31 and 35 to the sea area south of Ireland and to allow them considerable freedom of action there. They must be able to approach the coast or move further out to sea according to weather conditions and patrol.
Cooperation will only be possible to a limited extent and will probably be confined to an exchange of individual reports rather than shadowing for any length of time. At first U 28 and 29 will be in the same area.
U 48 is a boat with wide radius of action. She is therefore to operate west of Spain and Portugal, where U 47 will also be, and possibly U 49.
This area has 2 great advantages:
1) The weather is better here in the winter than it is further north.
2) There is less patrol, especially air patrol. If there is any air activity at all it must be very slight. The traffic situation is very favorable.
U 53 has apparently lost the convoy which she reported on the 15th for good. Her last report said that she had been driven off by a/c with bombs. It was a small convoy of 7 ships. As the boat is now west of Gibraltar and her operations area is east of Gibraltar, she has presumably started on her return passage.
November 16, 1939: In Lodz, order given that all Jews must wear a Star of David.
(NAAF Holocaust Archive)
The British steamship Arlington Court, Capt. Hurst, was torpedoed by the German submarine U 43 in the Atlantic 320 miles S.W. of Start Point off the Irish coast when on a voyage in convoy SL-7A from Argentina to Hull.
The vessel was struck by two torpedoes, the first of which wrecked the wireless. The second was not discharged until after the crew had taken to the boats. The vessel sank in 30 minutes.
Of the 34 men who had formed the crew 22 were picked up by the Dutch steamship Alengib and landed at an Irish port. The chief engineer, Mr. H. Pearson, died from exposure during the time that the boats were adrift, and three others were lost from various causes.
Another boat was piloted by an 18 year-old apprentice, Malcolm Morrison, for six days until close to land where he was picked up by a Norwegian vessel. Morrison worked out his course with a small compass and steered the boat himself, though suffering severely from frostbite.
There were five men in the boat beside Morrison and all survived.
German submarine production kicks in to high gear, with 4 subs being laid down today alone:
- Coastal submarine U 137 laid down (16.11.1939)
- Coastal submarine U 138 laid down (16.11.1939)
- Coastal submarine U 140 laid down (16.11.1939)
- Ocean-going submarine U 105 laid down (16.11.1939)
November 16, 19399
Field Marshal Hermann Goering, the Plenipotentiary for the Four Year Plan orders increased recruitment of Polish workers.
Under the Four-Year Plan, Goering had complete control over the economy including the private sector, especially after the Minister of Economics, Hjalmar Schacht, began to lose favour with Hitler because of his opposition to growing military expenditures.
he project’s achievements outperformed Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal both in size and scope.
The USSR’s Second Five Year Plan, provided several ideas borrowed by the Nazi regime, especially in the area of militarization. The Soviet Plan was reaching its conclusion just as the German equivalent was beginning.
“Russians Berate Helsinki Leaders; Finland is Calm”
On 16 November, 1939, the Commander in Chief of the Leningrad Military District orders the People’s Commissar of Defense to prepare a Plan for Stalin’s celebration of the conquest of Finland in Helsinki, which he plans to personally attend.
“According to various sources, Shostakovich found himself obliged to compose the piece on the orders of the Soviet Ministry of Culture - and for presentation in Helsinki at a celebration to mark the conquest of Finland by the Red Army and the country’s having been occupied and made into a “Soviet Socialist Republic of Finland”.
Someone is counting Chickens too early, I think....
16 November, 1939
GERMAN-SOVIET AGREEMENT ON THE TRANSFER OF
GERMAN PEOPLE’S FROM THE HOBBY ZONE OF THE SOVIET UNION AND THE RETURN OF UKRAINIAN AND BELARUSSIAN PEOPLE FROM THE SPHERE OF GERMAN INTERESTS AND AREAS OF THE FORMER POLISH STATE
Signed by:
Kurt von Kamphoevener
Litvinov
(16. NOVEMBER 1939)
with additional protocol
Section I: General
Article 1
Both Contracting Parties undertake, in the signature of this
Agreement, pursuant to Part III of the relocation of German origin People take that on the territory of the former Polish state in the present Field of interest of the USSR living - as is the relocation of all Ukrainian,
Russian and Ruthenian people, who in the field of the former Polish state in the current area of interest of the German Reich to live.
The relocation is subject to only those persons listed in paragraph 1, which have expressed the wish for resettlement, and their recording principal or approved area is represented by the corresponding page.
The resettlement is voluntary and can therefore no direct or indirect coercion will be exercised. The desire to migrate is to be expressed orally or in writing.
The right to resettlement extends to persons who are in detention and to those which have been previously pursued by the Polish government.
Feldpost Projekt:
Hans Simon, Letter home to his parents on 16.11.1939
(This is the same as the “Letters Home” from WW2 projects in the US and Britain)
Just for Mom!
My dear Mom!
16 November 1939! November 1939!
A year ago today I came to the army. With mixed feelings, I admit honestly. Today, however, the service gives me a lot of fun.
What I’ve seen? Everything this year. East Prussia. On the streets endless Kollonnen draw attention to the border. For hours, with short breaks it is the whole night, and the next morning still.
An old woman Stood watching our train, the tears stood in her eyes. “So zogen 1914 auch die Soldaten”.
(”As 1914 drew the soldiers.”)
Then the first day in Poland. The first casualties are coming back. An armored train brings back a wounded comrade. He lies on a stretcher and with every breath sounds like a moaning to our ears, we are upset.
I hesitated for a minute on my courage to fight. Am I too young, too soft? Well, I clenched my teeth.
After killing only two Poles, I had a Poland to the sword. Not out of lust for murder, only a sense of duty, iron reasoning was that my true feelings or diverted. This is war.
A soft boy has become a tough soldier and yet I do not think that the softness is completely gone from my feeling that he is zurückgestimmt. Precisely, it is not in place.
We have war. If we are: We are going to sing against England. With the same feelings we may have sung this song 1914
Whether you have then guessed the outcome of the war. Where’s the victory yet so often seemed on our side? I forgot about it in the minutes before the attack.
On 1 Sept. at 4.45 war was fixed so the invasion began. Neither exuberant nor enthusiasm for a certain depression dominated us. Well, it was impossible to even think clearly and soberly. Man war Realist.
There was a realist book The Commission has brought me this year. There were just some thoughts.
What has brought us this year in what is beautiful!
I was looking forward to your letter. I see how you feel about o me. For you have certainly had little time. I look forward to double. You have at home so much worry.
The fact that you got a letter at home after a long time no hearing from me, I’m sorry, for I have written every day at home and when I once had no time, I wrote in short, a note.
This is probably due to the delivery.
Dad has now perhaps prospects come to the middle school, I am very happy. I hope he comes.
I hope it is daddy with the neck better soon. Where’s Daddy just now serve the neighboring communities, must be particularly strained his neck.
You’ve probably just very difficult. Ich muß noch immer an die Geschichte denken, die Du mir von Tante Mariechen und Tante Cila erzählt hast.
I still think about the story that you told me of Aunt Maria and Aunt Cila. You know what I mean, where they trained me with chocolate and sweets. Today, it will probably be the same.
Pity I can not tell you come to the assistance, for you have certainly seen a hard time I hope costing, what’s playing.
I will pray at night, then maybe you have it easier. Something like this makes such a mellow, Winfried especially when you just need so badly.
Simply, it is not certain. Frankly, I would often go out of the skin. But does it not, shalt rise up before the hoary head thou. Well, mommy’s, daddy and hopefully open the eyes, so you have it easier. If I had to put myself in your situation!
At the moment I am very nervous. You will certainly double in the work may be. Where do you taking from his strength? As costing is, she is already thinking as far as self-employed, that she sees what’s going on? Well, Mom’s, I hope you have it easier than before. You have suffered so much already in this respect. But I hope that Omutti to take root.
Maybe you can find something that they fully claimed, except that you will not gefuscht in the economy. Omutti means it must be very good. She pushes it in one way.
If you were in Estonia on a visit, it was beautiful, but in daily life it is something different. As you may have cost the victim, Omutti record. Perhaps Uncle Arthur may unconsciously compensate. We certainly hope this is not best?
If you always think of the past, eating its way deeper and deeper with grief and everything becomes harder. Maybe there is something that Omutti so interested that Omuttis of occupation is fully satisfied. Well, they will turn up something.
Dear Mom’s, Please do not let this letter go into other hands. He may perhaps see trouble and discontent that is not hereby intended. Best if you burn it. I am sick over him especially.
At Winfried You probably have your trouble, but probably also your joy? .... Costing the brave .... , She torments probably still so with mathematics. Pity I can not help her.
I Order you please extend my warmest greetings to Winni please from me.
Has she really got my note? Later I will write him again. Was
What can you send me from time to time, are a few apples and a little jam. Of the other wishes, I wrote in recent letters. Assuming you have enough.
And do not forget our brave Tutti in Derneburg. She has certainly much to do. I also try to write to her every day.
From vacation, I wrote to you already. A slight glimmer of hope?? I dare not believe.
So mom’s, I hope that you will not have it too hard.
Would love to time (if time) have a brief physical description of our tenants. It still lives on with his thoughts at home. A few times a day for a walk, my thoughts to you at Kloster Malchow.
Please give my regards all. Pappi my best regards. Daddy I will also write some times.
If this letter is yet to arrive on Sunday, so I wish you a happy and beautiful Sunday. We will probably live firing on a military training area.
Well good luck and thank you, dear Mom’s
Your Hansi