United Kingdom
Tag
(515)1939
January
March
April
June
July
August
September
- 01
- Britain prepares for warOn 1 September 1939 Britain ordered mobilisation, the blackout and the evacuation of its cities. A population register and a Ministry of Food followed.
- Britain and France demand a German withdrawal from PolandOn the evening of 1 September 1939 Henderson and Coulondre demanded that Germany withdraw from Poland. The notes were a warning, not an ultimatum.
- 03
- Key eventBritain and France declare war on GermanyOn 3 September 1939 Britain at 11 a.m. and France at 5 p.m. found themselves at war with Germany. Warsaw cheered, but no real help arrived.
- Chamberlain’s War CabinetOn 3 September 1939 Chamberlain formed a nine-man War Cabinet with Churchill at the Admiralty, conscription for men aged 18–41 began and Gort took over the BEF.
- India, Australia, New Zealand and Newfoundland at warOn 3 September 1939 the Viceroy declared India at war without consulting Indians. Australia, New Zealand and Newfoundland also entered the war that day.
- The sinking of the AtheniaOn the evening of 3 September 1939 U-30 torpedoed the British liner Athenia without warning, with over 1,400 people aboard. Between 112 and 117 died.
- 04
- The first RAF raidsOn 4 September 1939 British bombers attacked warships off Wilhelmshaven and Brunsbüttel. The bombs that hit the Scheer did not explode; the RAF lost 7 aircraft.
- The British Expeditionary Force in FranceOn 4 September 1939 the advance parties of the BEF sailed from Portsmouth for France. In early October Lord Gort’s four divisions took over a sector near Lille.
- 05
- Iraq, Egypt and Saudi Arabia break off relations with GermanyIn September 1939 Iraq, Egypt and Saudi Arabia broke off relations with Germany. They met their obligations to London but did not declare war on the Reich.
- Britain withdraws recognition of SlovakiaAfter Slovakia joined the attack on Poland, London withdrew recognition and on 8 September declared it enemy-occupied. The USSR recognised it on 16 September.
- 06
- South Africa declares war on GermanyOn 6 September 1939 South Africa declared war on Germany. Two days earlier parliament had rejected Hertzog's neutrality and Smuts had taken over the government.
- Friendly fire in the first days of the warOn 6 September 1939 Spitfires shot down two British Hurricanes over Essex, and on 10 September the submarine Triton sank the British submarine Oxley.
- The Admiralty introduces convoysOn 6 September 1939 the first British convoys and the Northern Patrol set out. A day earlier U-47 had sunk the freighter Bosnia, the first of its kind.
October
November
December
- 18
- Canadian and Indian troops reach EuropeOn 17 December 1939 the 1st Canadian Division’s first flight reached Greenock, as Churchill announced. Indian mule companies landed at Marseille on 26 December.
- The air battle of the Heligoland BightOn 18 December 1939 German fighters, alerted by Freya radar, shot down 12 of 22 RAF Wellingtons. Bomber Command then switched to night raids.
- 28
- Britain extends food rationingAt the end of December 1939 Food Minister William Morrison confirmed that from 8 January 1940 bacon, ham, butter and sugar would be rationed.
- U-30 hits HMS BarhamOn 28 December 1939 Lemp’s U-30 torpedoed the battleship HMS Barham off the Hebrides. Two weeks earlier Barham had sunk her own destroyer Duchess in fog.