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| General Gamelin |
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.
October 22, 1939
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| Josef Goebbels |
On the Western Front... Sporadic artillery exchanges take place. The no-man's-land on the Moselle-Rhine is described as a sea of mud.
In Occupied Poland... Soviet elections are held in the Soviet controlled western Ukraine and western Belorussia (formerly Polish territory).
In Ankara... British General Wavell and French General Weygand leave at the conclusion of successful talks with the Turkish General Staff.
In India... The Congress Party declines to support the British war effort and condemns British imperialism.
October 23, 1939
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| City of Flint |
In the Soviet Union... North of Murmansk, a German prize crew steers the US ship City of Flint into Kola Bay. The steamer was seized as contraband by a German cruiser.
On the Western Front... Patrolling units engage in combat in the region west of the Saar.
In Paris... Sir Eric Phipps, the retiring British Ambassador, leaves.
In the North Sea... The British Home Fleet escorts an iron ore convoy from Narvik, Norway (arriving on October 31st).
October 24, 1939
In Paris... The Polish gold reserves arrive, having traveled via Romania and Syria. The value of the gold is estimated at over £15,000,000.
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| Ribbentrop |
On the Western Front... A fairly sharp engagement takes place towards the southeastern border of the Forest of Warndt, where a German attack on a French outpost is driven back.
In Moscow... A Soviet-German trade agreement is signed. The USSR agrees to supply 1 million tonnes of grain and fodder to Germany. Meanwhile, the Finnish delegation leaves to consult with their government on new proposals put forward by the Soviet government, concerning boundary revisions.
In Danzig... The Nazi Foreign Minister, Ribbentrop, delivers a speech in which he accuses the British government of systematically preparing, over a period of years, to make war on Germany.
October 25, 1939
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| Handley Page Halifax Bomber |
From Germany... Three U-boats are dispatched to the Mediterranean; only U-26 arrives and has no success.
On the Western Front... French troops reportedly repulse a German detachment in the region close to the Moselle. As a whole, conditions on are reported to be quiet.
In Mexico... In Mexico City, Leon Trotsky is reported to have said that "Stalin is afraid of Hitler, and is right to be so."
October 26, 1939
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| Hans Frank |
In Moscow... The Soviet government denies the British claim to have a right to stop Soviet merchant ships bound for Germany.
In the United States... On the eve of the Senate vote on amending the Neutrality Act, President Roosevelt delivers a fireside chat: "In and out of Congress we have heard orators and commentators and others beating their breasts proclaiming against sending the boys of American mothers to fight on the battlefields of Europe. That I do not hesitate to label as one of the worst fakes in current history. It is a deliberate setup of an imaginary bogy."
In Britain... The Auxiliary Military Pioneer Corps is formed.
In London... Chamberlain responds to claims made by the Nazi Foreign Minister Ribbentrop that Britain sought and plotted for war with Germany. He says "the whole world knows that this is not true."
On the Western Front... Wintry conditions prevail with much rain and snow. Minor encounters between patrols and artillery fire from both sides is reported.
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| King Leopold III |
In Belgium... King Leopold III, in a broadcast to the USA, declares that Belgium is determined to defend its neutrality.
From the Vatican... Pope Pius XII issues his first encyclical, condemning racism, dictators and treaty violations.
In Germany... Newspaper commentaries complain about anti-Nazi propaganda in Belgian newspapers and suggest this is a breach of Belgian neutrality.
In Berlin... Hitler again commands his generals to prepare for the western offensive.
On the Western Front... There are reports of German troops massing in the Saar, along the Belgian, Dutch and Swiss frontiers and along the German North Sea coast.
In Washington... The US Senate approves amendments to the Neutrality Act, repealing the arms embargo provision.
http://www.onwar.com/chrono/1939/oct39/f26oct39.htm
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