- August 18
- German troops occupy Slovakia. [10]
- August 20
- Soviet forces under Lieutenant General Georgi Zhukov counterattack Japanese invaders at Nomanhan in the Mongolian People's Republic (Outer Mongolia) on the border with Manchukuo. [10]
- August 21
- Adolf Hitler reads a telegram from Josef Stalin, acknowledging agreement on a non-aggression pact. Hitler responds by banging his fist on the supper table, exclaiming "I have them! I have them!". [10]
- August 23
- In Moscow, Germany and the Soviet Union sign a Treaty of Non-Aggression. A secret protocol of the pact defines domains of influence, with the Soviet Union to gain eastern Poland, Finland, Latvia, Estonia, and the Romanian province of Bessarabia. Germany is to control western Poland and Lithuania. [10]
- August 24
- Erich Warsitz makes first jet-propelled flight, in a Heinkel He-178 at Rostock-Marienehe, Germany. [55.10] (August 27 [1] [5])
- August 25
- In London, an Agreement of Mutual Assistance is signed by Poland and Great Britain. If Germany attacks either nation, the other will aid in its defence. [10]
- August 26
- In Canada, the militia is called to duty to protect coastal defences and vulnerable industrial points. [10]
- August 29
- Chaim Weizmann informs England that Palestine Jews will fight in war. [1]
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- August 30
- The Queen Mary ocean liner commences her final commercial voyage (for six years war duty) from Southampton, with 2332 passengers. [274.201]
- Adolf Hitler orders German armed forces to begin an attack on Poland. [10]
- August 31
- In Cairo, Egypt, forty cases are packed with the sarcophagus of King Tut-ankh-Amen and items found in his tombs, and the cases are hidden in bombproof chambers underground to protect them from possible wartime destruction. [10]
- In England, full army and navy mobilization is commenced, censorship of all communications to and from the British Isles is imposed, the Stock Exchange is closed, and civil airplanes are banned from flying over half of Britain. [10]
- September 1
- Physical Review publishes first paper to deal with "black holes". [1]
- German planes attack Polish cities of Puck, Gdynia, Cracow, and Katowice. German battleship Schleswig-Holstein opens fire on Danzig. About one million German soldiers begin an invasion into Polish territory toward Upper Silesia and Czestochowa. In Danzig, German Chief of State Albert Forster announces a decree proclaiming the annexation of the city to the German Reich. [10]
- German Chancellor Adolf Hitler addresses the Reichstag in Berlin, with the audio broadcast to nations around the world. Some quotes: "I have offered England friendship and, if necessary, close cooperation. Germany has no interests in the West. The Westwall is and remains our border on the west.", "Neutral powers have assured us of their neutrality and we have assured them they will be respected. We mean this.", "Germany and Russia fought against each other in the World War, and that shall not occur again.". [10]
- The British House of Commons passes the National Services (Armed Forces) Act, conscripting all men ages 18 to 41 into the armed forces. [10]
- The Canadian parliament invokes the War Measures Act of 1914, giving the government extra powers over trade shipping, censorship, and expropriation of private property. The government declares that "a state of apprehended war exists and has existed since Aug. 25, 1939.". Militia forces are placed on active service to defend coasts and vulnerable interior points. [10]
- Norway's King Haakon VI proclaims the neutrality of his country. [10]
- The Swiss government orders full mobilization its army as of September 2. [10]
- Portuguese Prime Minister António de Oliveira Salazar declares the neutrality of his country. [10]
- Cuban President Federico Laredo Bru issues a proclamation declaring the neutral position of Cuba's government. [10]
- Latvian president Karl Ulmanis issues a declaration of strict neutrality. [10]
- Finland declares strict neutrality. [10]
- Yugoslavia announces a declaration of strict neutrality. [10]
- The government of Bulgaria issues a declaration of strict neutrality, maintaining close cooperation with Yugoslavia. [10]
- Romania proclaims neutrality. [10]
- Ireland declares it will endeavor to remain neutral in the event of a general war. The immediate mobilization of the army is called for. [10]
- (about 1600 hours) The Italian Council of Ministers decides Italy will remain neutral unless attacked. [10]
- (sunset) London, England, begins blackout conditions for the duration of the war. [10]
- (evening) Ambassadors of the British and French governments issue an ultimatum to the German government to pull out of Poland. [10]
- (evening) The Danish government issues a declaration of neutrality. [10]
- September 2
- Sweden issues a declaration of neutrality. [7]
- Brazilian President Getulio Vargas declares his country's neutrality. [10]
- Acting Prime Minister Frazer of New Zealand pledges full cooperation with Great Britain. [10]
- Chilean Foreign Minister Abraham Ortega declares Chile would remain strictly neutral. [10]
- German Ministers at Stockholm, Sweden, and Oslo, Norway, give a declaration that Germany would respect the integrity of Sweden and Norway. [10]
- The German-American League for Culture in Cleveland, Ohio, representing 103,000 German-Americans, issues a resolution calling on German people to rise up and defeat Adolf Hitler. [10]
- President Konstantin Paets proclaims Estonia will observe strict neutrality. [10]
- German forces capture Polish cities of Rawicz and Leszno. [10]
- German Chancellor Adolf Hitler orders the annexation of Free City of Danzig. [1428.16]
- September 3
- (0900 hours London time) Sir Neville Henderson, the British Ambassador in Berlin informs the German government that if Germans are not withdrawing from Poland by 11:00 AM London time, that a state of war would exist as of that hour. A short time later, French Ambassador Robert Coulondre delivers a similar ultimatum, with 5:00 PM deadline. [10]
- Russia informs France and Britain that if they join in the German-Polish conflict, Russia would be compelled to revise her Western borders. [10]
- (1110 hours London time) British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain declares the country is at war with Germany. [10]
- (1117 hours) The British Admiralty issues orders to all ships to open hostilities against Germany. [10]
- (about 1134 hours Berlin time) Joachim von Ribbentrop reads his government's reply to the British ultimatum to British Ambassador Sir Nevile Henderson. The written reply, signed by Adolf Hitler, refuses to accept or fulfill the terms of the ultimatum, and blames Britain for the conditions in Poland and Germany that lead to the conflict. [10]
- German forces capture Czestochova in Upper Silesia, and Polish forces retreat from the area. [10]
- The Egyptian government proclaims martial law, in order to deport Germans, impose censorship, and arrest persons suspected of espionage. [10]
- Polish president Isnaz Moscieki declares Poland is under a state of war with Germany. [10]
- Denmark issues a declaration of neutrality. [10]
- (1700 hours) France declares a state of war on Germany. [10]
- Spanish Generalissimo Francisco Franco declares the neutrality of his country. [10]
- The Netherlands Government issues a statement declaring strict neutrality. [10]
- (evening London time) Winston Churchill is appointed First Lord of the Admiralty, and a member of the British Inner War Cabinet. [10]
- (1930 hours) German submarine U-30 torpedoes and sinks Donaldson Line passenger liner Athenia, 250 miles north of the west coast of Ireland. Of about 1418 passengers, 118 die. Germany denies responsibility, claiming that Great Britain planted a bomb to bring the US into the war. [10]
- (2030 hours Paris time) French Premier Edouard Daladier announces officially by radio that a state of war exists with Germany. [10]
- (2115 hours Melbourne time) Prime Minister Robert Menzies announces that Australia is at war with Germany. [10]
- (late evening) Ten Whitley planes from England drop 13.5 tons of leaflets on northern Germany. The 5.4 million leaflets tell Germans that Adolf Hitler's promises are worthless, that Germany is near bankruptcy, and weak compared to Allied forces. This is the start of operation NICKEL. [10]
- September 4
- (morning Wellington time) Governor General Viscount Galway proclaims New Zealand is at war with Germany. [10]
- (early) Polish troops cross into Germany north of Breslau. [10]
- British Admiralty orders convoys be organized for all merchant ships, with naval escorts. [10]
- Argentina and Uruguay issue decrees declaring their neutrality. [10]
- President Jorge Ubico of Guatemala issues a manifesto declaring strict neutrality. [10]
- Mexican President Lazaro Cardenas declares the neutrality of his country. [10]
- A Protocol of Mutual Assistance is signed between Poland and France. [10]
- German forces capture Bydgoszcz and Grudziadz in northern Poland. [10]
- (1530 hours) Fifteen Blenheim bombers take off from England to attack the German pocket battleship Admiral von Scheer sighted at the western end of Kiel Canal, near Wilhelmshaven. The few bombs that hit do not explode. Five planes and sixteen crew are lost. [10]
- (evening) Yugoslavia, Romania, and Bulgaria officially declare neutrality unless attacked. [10]
- The Polish ghetto of Mir is exterminated. [1]
- September 5
- The Polish government moves from Warsaw to Lublin, 100 miles south-east, as German forces advance to with 31 miles of the city. [10]
- German Army Commander-in-Chief Colonel-General von Brauchitsch gives the A-4 rocket project the highest possible priority. [10]
- (afternoon) American President Franklin Roosevelt issues a declaration of neutrality. [10]
- (evening) Japanese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Renzo Sawada announces that Japan will maintain neutrality in the European war. [10]
- September 6
- Germans capture Cracow, Poland. [10]
- General Jan Christiaan Smuts becomes new Prime Minister of the Union of South Africa. He pledges to cooperate with Britain, and declares war on Germany. [10]
- Sweden is partially mobilized for war. [10]
- (evening) The Iraqi government breaks off relations with Germany, and begins deporting Germans. [10]
- September 7
- (1100 hours) Polish defenders of Westerplatte Fortress in Danzig Harbor surrender. [10]
- September 8
- (0515 hours) First German troops enter Polish capital Warsaw. [10]
- American President Franklin Roosevelt declares a limited national emergency, issuing orders to substantially increase the army, navy, marine corps, and National Guard. [10]
- (evening) President Anastasio Somoza declares Nicaragua will maintain strict neutrality. [10]
- September 9
- Slovak troops cease their advance into Poland, after occupying all former territory taken by Poland in 1920, 1928, and 1938. [10]
- French forces complete the capture of a German salient from Saarbruecken to Saarlautern, taking villages of Karlsbrunn, Lauterbach, Ludweiler, Grossrosseln, and Saint Nikolaus. [10]
- German forces capture Lodz, Poland. [10]
- September 10
- An article in the New York Times newspaper refers to the conflict in Poland as the "Second World War". [10]
- (1310 hours) In Ottawa, Canada, the Governor-General of Canada, Lord Tweedsmuir, announces that Parliament has declared war on Germany, as of the start of the day. [10]
- The US extends its embargo on arms shipments to Canada. [10]
- September 11
- The British Ministry of Information announces the British Government would not conclude peace with a German Government headed by Adolf Hitler. [10]
- President Juan Arosema of Panama proclaims the neutrality of Panama. [10]
- September 12
- The official German News Bureau in East Silesia issues a special report saying that "Removal of the Polish Jewish population from the European domain would ... bring a solution of the Jewish question in Europe nearer.". [10]
- September 13
- French Premier Edouard Daladier assumes functions of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Presidency of Council in Ministry of National Defence and War. [10]
- September 14
- (1015 hours) Polish mayor Skupien surrenders Gydnia city to German General Magnus Eberhardt. [10]
- German troops complete the encirclement of Warsaw, Poland. [10]
- The Soviet Union calls for one million new recruits for the Red Army. [10]
- September 15
- Japan calls for a ceasefire in its local conflict with the Soviet Union at Nomonhan near the shared border with Mongolia. During the fighting since mid-May, Japan suffered 50,000 casualties. Both sides conclude the Soviet tanks were better in quality and quantity. [10]
- Soviet Russia and Japan agree to an armistice in the war on the Manchukuo - Outer Mongolia border. [10]
- The government of Paraguay formally declares neutrality. [10]
- The Argentine Minister of Marine announces the entire Argentine naval fleet is ordered to patrol the coast to protect the country's neutrality. [10]
- September 16
- Premier George Kiosseivanoff of Bulgaria officially declares the country's neutrality. [10]
- September 17
- (0400 hours) Russian armies cross the entire eastern frontier of Poland, claiming the Polish State no longer exists, and "to protect our own interests and to protect the White Russian and Ukranian minorities". [10]
- Polish President Ignaz Moscicki and a government party of 57 cross into Rumania. [10]
- The Germany Army captures the citadel of Brest-Litovsk, Poland, taking 600 prisoners. [10]
- German forces capture the Polish town of Kutno. [10]
- (about 2000 hours) German submarine U-29 torpedoes and sinks the British aircraft carrier HMS Courageous in the Bristol Channel, with the loss of 518 men. [10]
- September 18
- Russian forces reach Vilna and Brest-Litovsk in Poland, and meet with German forces. A joint German-Soviet military commission meets to draft plans for partition. [10]
- September 19
- The five Scandinavian countries make a joint declaration of firm neutrality, cooperating to safeguard their economic life, and continuing trade with all States. [7]
- The Polish naval base of Gdynia falls to German forces. [10]
- Adolf Hitler makes a speech at Danzig, saying Poland's fate is to be determined by Germany and Russia, and that he has accepted the western border, with no war aims against Britain or France. [10]
- Soviet forces capture Vilna, Poland. [10]
- September 20
- Russians occupy Grodno, Poland, 90 miles southwest of Vilna in northeast Poland near the Lithuanian border. [10]
- German Colonel General Walther von Brauchitsch informs the German Army that "operations in Poland are completed". In twenty days of war, German forces occupied 100,000 square miles of territory, capturing 400,000 prisoners. [10]
- September 21
- France completes a twenty-day general mobilization, with six million men ready for action. [10]
- (1330 hours) In Bucharest, Rumania, six Iron Guards assassinate Prime Minister Armand Calinescu. This is intended as a prelude to a Nazi uprising, but is quickly stopped by police. Nine men are captured and executed before midnight. [10]
- September 22
- Soviet forces occupy Brest-Litovsk and Bialystok in Poland. [10]
- The Rumanian Government executes 100-200 members of the Iron Guard. [10]
- Netherlands and Belgium flood part of their territory bordering Germany as a defensive measure. [10]
- (late afternoon) Lwow, Poland, surrenders to German troops. [10]
- September 24
- The Soviet Government informs the Finnish Government that passage through Leningrad via Neva River would now be closed to Finnish vessels. The route was allowed by agreement of 1923, allowing for closure in case of war danger. [10]
- (2015-2030 hours) Official German radio broadcast declares that with the redrafting of Poland's frontiers, Germany's war is over. [10]
- September 25
- Guns of the French Maginot Line and German Westwall along the 80-mile front from Lauterbourg to Basle exchange fire for 24 hours. [10]
- Versailles Peace Treaty forgot to include Andorra, so Andorra and Germany finally sign an official treaty ending World War I. [1]
- September 27
- (2010 hours) Warsaw, Poland, surrenders to German troops after a 21-day siege. [10]
- Adolf Hitler announces to the commanders of the three military services that he intends to attack the West this year crossing Belgium and Holland to attack France and isolate Great Britain. Despite protests, Adolf Hitler orders that Plan Yellow should be mounted on November 12. [10]
- For the first time, German guns of the Westwall fire over the Maginot line on villages behind French fortifications. [10]
- September 28
- In Moscow, a Pact of Mutual Assistance is signed between the Soviet Union and Estonia, allowing Soviet military bases in Estonia, and Soviet control of naval bases and airports. [10]
- Germany and Russia conclude the Treaty of Frontier Regulation and Friendship, to regulate the partition of Poland. The agreement is signed in Leningrad by German Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop and Soviet Commissar for Foreign Affairs Vyadieslav Molotov. Russia gains control of Lithuania, in exchange for extension of the German area of Poland. [10]
- September 30
- Germany and Russia agree to partition Poland. [1]
- October 1
- Britain's Winston Chruchill refers to Soviet policy as "a riddle wrapped in a mystery inside an enigma". [1]
- October 5
- In Moscow, Latvia signs a Pact of Mutual Assistance with the Soviet Union, granting Soviet bases at Libau and Windau. [10]
- October 6
- Adolf Hitler announces a peace plan in the Reichstag. [10]
- October 8
- Germany annexes Western Poland. [1]
- October 9
- Adolf Hitler issues a memorandum to senior commanders justifying a policy of full-scale attack on Britain and France, if possible, this autumn. [10]
- Adolf Hitler issues Directive No. 6 "for the Conduct of the War", ordering an offensive planned through Luxembourg, Belgium, and Holland, as soon as armored units are ready and favorable weather conditions allow. The purpose of the offensive is to defeat the French Army, gain territory in Holland, Belgium, and Northern France to serve as a base against England and protect the Ruhr area. Adolf Hitler fears a delay would lead to an invasion of Belgium and possibly Holland by Western forces. [10]
- October 10
- In Moscow, a Pact of Mutual Assistance is signed between the Soviet Union and Lithuania, allowing Soviet occupation of stations of military importance. [10]
- October 14
- (0130 hours) In Scapa Flow, off the northern coast of Scotland, German submarine U-47 torpedoes British battleship HMS Royal Oak. The ship sinks in about 20 minutes. About 800 men are killed. [10]
- October 16
- Five warships from England arrive in Halifax, Canada, carrying about 10 million Pounds Sterling in gold from Britain and other Allied nations, for safekeeping during the war. [10]
- German troops cross the extreme western end of the German frontier to France, losing twenty tanks in the battle. [10]
- October 19
- In Angora, Turkey signs a Treaty of Mutual Assistance with Great Britain and France. If Turkey enters the war, France and Great Britain commit to providing assistance. [10]
- October 24
- Nylon stockings go on sale for first time (Wilmington, Delaware, USA). [1]
- October 30
- USSR and Germany agree on partitioning Poland. [1]
- November 1
- First animal conceived by artificial insemination (rabbit) is displayed. [1]
- First jet plane, Heinkel He 178, demonstrated to German Air Ministry. [1]
- November 4
- First air-conditioned automobile (Packard) exhibited, Chicago, Illinois, USA. [1]
- In the United States, Congress amends the 1937 Neutrality Act, allowing belligerent nations to buy American arms for cash if they provide the transport. [10]
- November 6
- General Electric's WGY-TV (Schenectady, New York), first commercial TV station, begins service. [1] [457]
- November 8
- (2120 hours) In Munich, Germany, a bomb explodes in Bürgerbräukeller, fifteen minutes after Adolf Hitler left the building. Eight are killed, sixty-three injured. George Elser set the bomb in a gap under a wood panel, possibly arranged by Heinrich Himmler. [10]
- November 11
- Portuguese Foreign Ministry issues dispatch Number 14 instructing consuls to issue visas (to Portugal) only to those with ticket on ship out of Lisbon, no visas to Czechs, Russians, and Jews. [972.416]
- November 12
- Jews of Lodz Poland are ordered to wear yellow armbands. [1]
- November 13
- Finnish delegates return to Helsinki from Moscow after negotiations failed to satisfy Soviet demands for moving the border 30-40 miles and the lease of the Hanko Peninsula for a naval base to protect the Gulf of Finland. [10]
- November 14
- Oil refinery fire kills 500 and destroys Lagunillas, Venezuela. [1]
- November 15
- Germans begin mass murder of Warsaw Jews. [1]
- November 26
- Finland rejects the Soviet demand for military bases on her territory. [10]
- November 30
- Soviet Union military forces attack Finland, commencing with air raids on Helsinki. [1] [7] [10]
- December 1
- SS-Führer Heinrich Himmler begins deportation of Polish Jews. [1]
- December 2
- British Imperial Airways and British Airways merge to form BOAC. [1]
- December 9
- 27th Grey Cup: Winnipeg Blue Bombers defeat Ottawa Rough Riders, 8-7. [1]
- Russian air raid on Helsinki, Finland. [1]
- Death of Thomas Priday on patrol near Maginot Line, France; Corporal in First Battalion, King's Shropshire Light Infantry; believed to be first British soldier killed in action in World War II. [1458.10]
- December 10
- Vidkun Quisling of Norway meets with Adolf Hitler and many others in Berlin, over eleven days. They agree that Germany should aid Quisling and his Nazi party to seize control of Norway at a favorable moment. [10]
- December 11
- New anti-Jewish measurements in Poland are proclaimed. [1]
- December 12
- Soviet prison ship Indigirka, carrying 2,500 prisoners capsizes in blizzard off Japanese coast; 2,470 die. [1]
- December 13
- Battle at La Plata - three British cruisers versus German Graf Spee. [1]
- December 14
- The League of Nations expels the Soviet Union for aggression. [10]
- (1700 hours) Norwegian politician Vidkun Quisling meets with Adolf Hitler in Germany. He suggests Germany launch a pre-emptive strike on Norway. Quisling says he would take control of the Norwegian government through a coup. [10]
- (by 1800 hours) Adolf Hitler issues an order that Denmark and Norway be seized and occupied during the upcoming attack on the West, to gain control of Norwegian territorial waters. [10]
- December 17
- (1952 hours) Off the coast of Montevideo, Uruguay, German sailors open seacocks on the pocket battleship Admiral Graf Spee, and set off a series of explosions, scuttling the ship. [10]
- December 18
- Finnish army recaptures Agläjärvi. [1]
- December 19
- Russian air and ground attack against Finnish positions near Summa. [1]
- December 20
- Hans Langsdorff, German captain (Admiral Graf Spee), commits suicide. [1] [10]
- Radio Australia begins overseas short-wave service. [1]
- December 21
- Adolf Hitler names Adolf Eichmann leader of "Referat IV B". [1]
- December 22
- 125 die in train wreck at Magdeburg, Germany; 99 die in second wreck at Friedrichshafen, Germany. [1]
- Finnish counter-offensive at Petsamo. [1]
- December 23
- Finnish counter-offensive at Summa. [1]
- December 25
- Montgomery Ward introduces Rudolph the 9th reindeer. [1]
- December 26
- Mine strikes in Borinage, Brussels. [1]
- December 27
- 8.0 earthquake in Erzincam, Turkey, about 50,000 die. [1]
- Finns are victorious at Suomosalmi, scattering the Russian 163rd Division. [10]
- December 29
- The Russian 163rd Division begins an attack in great force on the middle of Finland, to try to drive through to the Gulf of Bothnia and cut Finland in two. [509.1]
- December 31
- Dutch national debt hits 4,218,553,180.99 gulden. [1]
- Fire destroys the Papal Chancery Palace (Palazzo della Cancelleria) in the center of Rome, Italy, cause unknown. The Palace had been built about 1486-96 for Raffaello Cardinal Riario. [509.1]
- The Soviet Union and Japan settle two disputes with the Soviet renewal of fishing concession to Japan for a year, and Japan agreeing to pay the 5.9 million yen due on Chinese Eastern Railway in Manchukuo. [509.1]
- The Russian 163rd Division on the middle of Finland fails, with the division virtually annihilated by the Finns. [509.1]
- December (month)
- 25 German submarine sunk this month (81,000 tons). [1]
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