November 1939

1939

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The following events occurred inNovember 1939:

November 1,1939 (Wednesday)

• Chinese forces launched theWinter Offensiveon multiple fronts against theImperial Japanese Army.
• A royal decree in the Netherlands establishedmartial lawin key regions mostly along the German-Dutch border.
• Born:Barbara Bosson,actress, inCharleroi, Pennsylvania(d. 2023)
• Died:Kálmán Darányi,53, Prime Minister of Hungary 1936–1938

November 2,1939 (Thursday)

• ThePolish government-in-exiledissolved theParliament.A National Council was set up to govern in its place.
• Born:Frank Buncom,AFL linebacker, inShreveport, Louisiana(d. 1969)

November 3,1939 (Friday)

• U.S. Congress amended theNeutrality Act of 1937,repealing the embargo on arms to belligerents but placing sales on acash and carrybasis to avoid a repeat of the situation after World War I when Britain and France ran into difficulty with making their war debt payments to the United States.
• The German-controlled American freighterCity of Flintentered port inHaugesunddespite being ordered by its Norwegian escort, the minelayerOlav Tryggvason,not to. The German captain later told interrogators he wasjust following ordersfrom his government and did not know why he was instructed to dock in Haugesund, but it was probably to get instructions from the vice consul on how and when to proceed to Germany. Norway decided to seize the freighter and return its command to the Americans, and at 23:30 a boarding party stormed the ship and removed the Germanprize crew.The Germans were interned for violating international law, which forbade a ship from entering a neutral port without sufficient cause.
• TheJohn Ford-directed historical filmDrums Along the MohawkstarringClaudette ColbertandHenry Fondawas released.
• The British propaganda filmThe Lion Has Wings,rushed through production after the outbreak of war, was released to cinemas in the United Kingdom.

November 4,1939 (Saturday)

• The American Neutrality Law came into force, forbidding American ships and citizens from entering clearly defined war zones.
• TheCity of Flintsailed toBergenwith U.S. control finally restored.
• German submarineU-44was commissioned.
• Born:Michael Meacher,politician, inHemel Hempstead,Hertfordshire,England (d. 2015)
• Died:Percy Douglas,63, British naval officer

November 5,1939 (Sunday)

• Three German Army commanders (Fedor von Bock,Wilhelm Ritter von LeebandGerd von Rundstedt) who believed an invasion of France would fail held a secret meeting to discuss ways to dissuade Hitler from ordering an attack on the western front.

November 6,1939 (Monday)

• Sonderaktion Krakau:183 professors ofJagiellonian UniversityinKrakówwere arrested by the Nazis. 168 of them were sent toSachsenhausen concentration camp.
• Born:Athanasios Angelopoulos,theology professor, inKaterini,Greece;Carlos Emilio Morales,jazz guitarist, inMarianao,Havana,Cuba(d. 2014);Leonardo Quisumbing,Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, inMasbate City(d. 2019)

November 7,1939 (Tuesday)

• Queen Wilhelmina of the NetherlandsandKing Leopold III of the Belgiansoffered to mediate in the European war.
• The Polish government-in-exile madeWładysław SikorskiGeneral Inspector of the Armed Forces.
• Dalki massacre: 24Polesmassacred by the Germans inDalkiin German-occupied Poland (seeNazi crimes against the Polish nation).

November 8,1939 (Wednesday)

• 13 minutes after Hitler concluded a speech at theBürgerbräukellerinMunichon the 16th anniversary of theBeer Hall Putsch,a time bomb exploded near the speaking platform that killed 8 people. CarpenterJohann Georg Elserwas arrested with incriminating documents at the Swiss border and brought back to Munich for interrogation. His attempt to assassinate Hitler would have succeeded if the Führer's annual speech had not begun 30 minutes earlier than it did in previous years.
• Born:Elizabeth Dawn,actress, inLeeds,England (d. 2017);Laila Kinnunen,singer, inVantaa,Finland (d. 2000);Meg Wynn Owen,actress, inWales(d. 2022)

November 9,1939 (Thursday)

• Supreme Allied CommanderMaurice Gamelinrevealed hisDyle Planat a conference of senior Allied officers inVincennes.
• Auburn Stadium, later renamedJordan–Hare Stadium,opened on the campus ofAuburn UniversityinAlabama.
• Born:Paul Cameron,psychologist and sexologist, inPittsburgh,Pennsylvania

November 10,1939 (Friday)

• Hitler flew for the first time in his new personal transport plane – anFw 200A-0namedImmelmann IIIafter the World War I flying aceMax Immelmann.
• The United States Circuit Court of Appeals inPhiladelphiaunanimously ruled that schoolchildren did not have tosalutetheAmerican flagif such action conflicted with their religious beliefs.
• Born:Russell Means,Native American activist, on thePine Ridge Indian Reservation,South Dakota(d. 2012)
• Died:Charlotte Despard,95, Scottish-born Anglo-Irish suffragist

November 11,1939 (Saturday)

• Hitler appeared unexpectedly inMunichat the funeral for the victims of theBürgerbräukellerbombing. He stayed only a few minutes to hearRudolf Hessdeliver the eulogy and then left without speaking.
• The Nazis burned down theEzras Israel SynagogueinŁódź.
• Ostrów Mazowiecka massacre:up to 600 Jews massacred by the German police inOstrów Mazowieckain German-occupied Poland.
• Although Britain did not hold an officialArmistice Dayceremony at theWhitehall Cenotaphthis year, wreaths were laid on behalf of the King and Queen and people still came to leave flowers. There was no official two minutes' silence at 11 a.m. either, but Britons publicly observed it anyway.
• Queen Elizabethmade a broadcast to the women of the British Empire reminding them that in the war "we, no less than men, have real and vital work to do."
• Died:Jan Opletal,24, Czech student (died of gunshot wound sustained during the October 28 demonstrations in Prague)

November 12,1939 (Sunday)

• German authorities began the deportation of Jews fromPolish territories annexed by Germanyto theGeneral Government.
• France said that the Belgian and Dutch offer of mediation required Germany to repair "the injustices which force has imposed on Austria, Czechoslovakia and Poland" before peace could be discussed.George VIwrote a reply explaining that the "essential conditions upon which we are determined that an honorable peace must be secured have already been plainly stated", but if the Queen of the Netherlands was "able to communicate to me any proposals from Germany of such a character as to afford real prospect" of achieving Britain's aims he would "give them my most earnest consideration."
• Died:Norman Bethune,49, Canadian physician and humanitarian

November 13,1939 (Monday)

• British soil was bombed by the Germans for the first time during World War II, in theShetland Islands.No casualties were inflicted.
• The Finnish delegation in Moscow refused to accede to Soviet demands and broke off negotiations.
• TheUnion of Armed Strugglewas created from an earlier Polish resistance movement, theService for Poland's Victory.
• HMSBlanchewas sunk by a mine in theThames Estuary,the first British destroyer lost to enemy action in the war.
• Born:Bob Tutupoly,Indonesian singer (d. 2022)
• Died:Lois Weber,60, American actress

November 14,1939 (Tuesday)

• Joachim von Ribbentropinformed the Belgian and Dutch envoys that Germany was turning down their joint mediation offer based on the responses already made from Britain and France.
• TheGreat Synagogue of Łódźwas burned to the ground by the Nazis.
• An oil refinery fire in Lagunillas,Venezuelakilled 500 people and destroyed the town.
• Born:Wendy Carlos,electronic musician, inPawtucket, Rhode Island

November 15,1939 (Wednesday)

• TheBattle of South Guangxibegan.
• The German heavy cruiserDeutschlandwas renamedLützow,both to confuse enemy intelligence and to avoid the potential damage to national pride that would occur if a ship bearing the name of the country were to be sunk in action.
• A funeral held inPragueforJan Opletalturned into another spontaneous anti-Nazi demonstration.
• Mayor ofLong Beach, CaliforniaLouis F. Edwards was assassinated by a police officer who had lost his bid for president of the localPatrolmen's Benevolent Associationto a candidate Edwards supported.
• Born:Yaphet Kotto,actor, in New York City (d. 2021)

November 16,1939 (Thursday)

• Al Caponewas released from federal custody after serving seven-and-a-half years of his eleven-year sentence for tax evasion. Capone was suffering heavily fromparesisand upon release he immediately went to a Baltimore hospital for treatment.
• Born:Michael Billington,author and theatre critic, inLeamington Spa,England
• Died:Pierce Butler,73, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States

November 17,1939 (Friday)

• Germans stormed the university dorms inPragueand other towns in the former Czechoslovakia, attacking and arresting thousands of students. The Nazis executed nine Czechs by firing squad without trial that day for leading the recent demonstrations.TodayInternational Students' Dayis observed on November 17 in remembrance of the students who were killed or sent to concentration camps for opposing the Nazis.
• TheAnglo-French Supreme War Councilheld its third meeting in Paris.
• The historical filmTower of LondonstarringBasil Rathbone,Boris KarloffandVincent Pricewas released.
• Born:Auberon Waugh,journalist, inDulverton,England (d. 2001)
• Died:Josef Matoušek,33, Czech historian and professor (executed by the Nazis)

November 18,1939 (Saturday)

• The Dutch linerSimon Bolivarset off two mines and sank 20 miles offHarwich,England. 86 lives were lost out of the approximately 400 on board. The British accused the Germans of laying the mines in violation of Article VIII of the1907 Hague Conventions,which forbade using mines in circumstances likely to endanger commercial shipping.
• The Nazis closed all the technical schools in the former Czechoslovakia.
• Born:Margaret Atwood,novelist, poet and environmental activist, inOttawa,Ontario, Canada;Amanda Lear,French model, actress and singer, in eitherSaigonor Hong Kong;Brenda Vaccaro,actress, inBrooklyn,New York

November 19,1939 (Sunday)

• An official German communique announced that barricades had been erected around theWarsaw Ghettoand that Jewish districts would be placed under strict control.
• Baseball starJoe DiMaggiomarried actressDorothy ArnoldinNorth Beach, San Francisco.

November 20,1939 (Monday)

• Britain had its first submarine success of the war whenHMSSturgeonsank the German patrol vesselV-209in theHeligoland Bight.
• All Jewish assets held in banks in theGeneral Governmentwere blocked.
• Hitler issuedDirective No. 8,Further Preparations for Attack in the West.
• DC ComicspublishedFlash Comics#1 (with acover dateof January), featuring thefirst appearancesof the superheroesFlashandHawkman.

November 21,1939 (Tuesday)

• The British government declared ablockadeof German exports in reprisal for numerous incidents at sea such as the sinking of theAtheniaand theSimon Bolivar."I may remind the House that in the last war, as a measure of justified reprisal for submarine attacks on merchant ships, exports of German origin or ownership were made subject to seizure on the high seas", Prime MinisterNeville Chamberlainexplained in the House of Commons. "The many violations of international law and the ruthless brutality of German methods have decided us to follow a similar course now, and an Order-in-Council will shortly be issued giving effect to this decision."
• The British destroyerHMSGipsystruck a mine outsideHarwichand sank with the loss of 30 crew.
• Antanas Merkysbecame Prime Minister of Lithuania.
• German submarineU-55was commissioned.
• Died:Émile Paul Amable Guépratte,83, French admiral

November 22,1939 (Wednesday)

• ThePolish government-in-exilemoved from Paris toAngers.
• TheU.S. Supreme CourtdecidedSchneider v. New Jersey.
• Born:Mulayam Singh Yadav,politician, in Saifai,Etawah district,British India(d. 2022);Stefan Dimitrov,basso opera singer, inBurgas,Bulgaria(d. 2004)

November 23,1939 (Thursday)

• German authorities ordered all Jews over the age of ten residing in theGeneral Governmentto wear white armbands bearing aStar of David.
• The British armed merchant cruiserHMSRawalpindiwas sunk by German warships north of theFaroe Islands.238 of the 286 crew were lost.
• TheOfficial Secrets Act 1939receivedRoyal Assentin the United Kingdom, revising theAct of 1920.
• Born:Bill Bissett,poet, inHalifax, Nova Scotia,Canada

November 24,1939 (Friday)

• TheJapanese 5th DivisioncapturedNanning.
• Imperial AirwaysandBritish Airways Ltd.merged to formBritish Overseas Airways Corporation.
• Died:John Harron,36, American actor (spinal meningitis)

November 25,1939 (Saturday)

• International Olympic CommitteePresidentHenri de Baillet-Latourannounced the cancellation of the1940 Winter Olympics,which would have been held inGarmisch-Partenkirchen,Germany.

• Bill Monroemade his debut performance on theGrand Ole Oprywith a rendition ofMuleskinner Blues.

• Born:Shelagh Delaney,dramatist and screenwriter, inBroughton, Salford,England (d. 2011)

November 26,1939 (Sunday)

• Shelling of Mainila:The Soviet Union conducted afalse flagoperation by shelling the Russian village of Mainila near the Finnish border and blaming the attack on Finland.
• Born:Tina Turner,singer inNutbush, Tennessee(d. 2023)

November 27,1939 (Monday)

• Finland denied shelling Mainila and suggested that the Russians had accidentally fired upon their own village in connection with training exercises.
• Born:Laurent-Désiré Kabila,President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, inBaudouinville,Belgian Congo(d. 2001);Ulla Strömstedt,actress, inStockholm,Sweden (d. 1986)

November 28,1939 (Tuesday)

• TwelveBristol Blenheimsof theRoyal Air Forceconducted a bombing raid on the German seaplane base atBorkum.Little damage was done but all the British aircraft returned safely.
• The Soviet Union canceled theSoviet–Finnish Non-Aggression Pact.
• The British government ceremonially turned over a copy ofMagna Cartato theLibrary of Congressfor safekeeping during the war. The 13th century document had been brought to the United States for display during theNew York World's Fairand it was deemed too dangerous to ship it back during wartime.
• Nile Kinnickof theUniversity of Iowawon theHeisman Trophy.
• Died:James Naismith,78, Canadian physical educator and inventor of the sport ofbasketball

November 29,1939 (Wednesday)

• TheGerman submarineU-35surfaced and surrendered near theShetland Islandsafter being disabled by depth charges from the British destroyersHMSIcarus,KashmirandKingston.
• A decree of thePresidium of the Supreme Sovietgranted all permanent residents ofSoviet-occupied Polandfull citizenship of the USSR. With this came the obligation to serve in theRed Army.
• Hitler issuedDirective No. 9,Instructions for Warfare against the Economy of the Enemy. The directive focused on attacking British shipping and ports and blockading sea lanes using U-boats and naval mines.
• Fritz Julius Kuhnof the pro-NaziGerman American Bundwas found guilty on five counts of larceny and forgery in New York court.
• Born:Meco,record producer and musician, inJohnsonburg, Pennsylvania(d. 2023)
• Died:Philipp Scheidemann,74, German politician

November 30,1939 (Thursday)

• TheWinter Warbegan when the Soviet Union invaded Finland. 600,000 soldiers of theRed Armybegan to cross the Finnish border and Soviet aircraft bombedHelsinki.
• TheBattle of Petsamobegan.
• Died:Max Skladanowsky,76, German inventor and filmmaker