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| TIMELINE 1939
Jan. 2 - Time magazine pronounced Hitler "Man of the Year" for 1938, but for the first time didn't show the face of the "Man of the Year" on the cover of the magazine. Jan. 4 - FDR State of the Union speech to Congress, and Life magazine featured a low-angle photo by Thomas MacAvoy of FDR as ""Colossus" saving democracy for the world. Jan. 12 - FDR speech asked $525 million more for defense, especially more airplanes. Jan. 19 - End of Konoye's 1st Cabinet - replaced by Hiranuma. The start of the search for a coalition against Russia. Jan. 23 - Douglas DB-7 bomber crashed, injuring Frenchman on board. Jan. 28 - Enrico Fermi at a meeting of physicists in Washington DC that the German scientist Otto Hahn had split a synthetic ekauranium atom to release enormous energy, a vital step in the development of an atomic bomb. Jan. 31 - FDR implied U.S. frontier was "on the Rhine" and press reports were alarming. Feb. 13 - Louis Brandeis retired fromt he Supreme Court, and FDR appointed William O. Douglas Mar. 20. Feb. 22 - Fritz Kuhn and his German-American Bund held a rally of 22,000 in Madison Square Garden, demounced communists and Jews and Bernard Baruch.
Feb. 27 - Neville Chamberlain was criticized by many members of the British parliment for his recognition of the Franco government in Spain.
March 12 - Piux XII became Pope. March 15 - Hitler arrived in Prague and completed the occupation of the German-speaking regions (Bohemia, Moravia) of Czechoslovakia. March 23 - Hitler occupied Memelland (NE Prussia ceded to Lithuania) and demanded Danzig. March 29 - William Borah opposes U.S. fortification of Guam as "decoration of a useless sand dune". March 31 - Chamberlain made an official pledge of British defense to Poland, marking the end of appeasement. March 31 - Yonai announces the occupation of Hainan and Spratly Islands.
April 8 -
Italy invaded the occupied Albania, driving King Zog into exile in Greece.
April 9 - Marion Anderson preformed a free concert before 75,000 people and a radio audience of millions Easter Sunday at the Lincoln Memorial after the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) denied her use to their Constitution Hall in Washington DC. April 9 - Astoria arrives in Japan under Captain Richard Kelly "Turn To" Turner. FDR orders special fleet maneuvers at Hawaii. April 9 - Another 10 week blitzkrie followed the sitzkrieg. Yellow plan captured. Jan. 10 and Hitler changed to new Sickle Stroke plan with Bock's Army Group B in north at Belgium, Leeb's Army Group C in south at Maginot Line, and Rundstedt's Army Group B in center at Ardennes. Norway, Denmark fall on the northern front. Quisling betrayed Norway, British Navy took Narvik, General Dietl saved German Army and Luftwaffe controlled skies. April 12 - FDR hesitant to pledge American defense of Greenland, but did establish a consulate in capital city of Godthaab. U.S. Army had only 5 active divisions of 80,000 men to face Germany's 140 divisions of 2 million men. Apr. 20 - Astoria departs Japan. Tries to photograph Yokosuka drydock. Visits "islands of mystery" Saipan, Rota. April 26 - FDR signed the appropriation bill that began construction of a 6000 plane Army Air Force. Apr. 27 - Key Pittman introduces resolution to cut off all trade with Japan. April 30 - FDR opened the New York World's Fair that featured a "World of Tomorrow" in many corporate exhibits. May 2 - Lou Gehrig ended his streak of playing in 2130 consecutive games, and told fans in Yankee Staddium July 4 that he was the "luckiest man alive." May 10 - Western front attack begins. Holland, Belgium, Luxembourg, France. Luftwaffe bombed Rotterdam. Fort Eban Emael on Albert Canal. Churchill replaced Chamberlain as Prime Minister of England. "I have nothing to offer but blood, toil, tears, and sweat" in speech to Parliment May 13th May 13 - Ardennnes break-through into France. Panzer group was a "revolutionary organization". French Maginot Line proves useless. Guderian led Panzers at Sedan. Rommel led 7th Panzer division at Dinant. Giraud's French army in retreat. May 15 - Former Naval Person sent 1st telegram to FDR with a shopping list for planes and destroyers. May 16 - FDR speech to Congress asked for new defense spending, enlarged army, 50,000 planes - speech was applauded by Congress and public opinion favored defense program. May 19 - Charles Lindberg radio speech. May 23 - The U.S. sub Squalus sunk off New Hampshire due to the accidental opening of an air valve, causing the death of 26, but 33 others were saved by a rescue chamber lowered by divers to the escape hatch in the forward torpedo room. June 4 - Dunkirk fell after 338,000 evacuated. Churchill told parliment, "we shall fight on the beaches". June 6 - Passenger ship St. Louis with 907 Jewish refugees began return trip to Europe after Cuba and the U. S. refused permission for them to dock. June 8 - Royal visit of the King and Queen of England, arrived in Washington DC, visited New York World's Fair June 10, attended the "hot dog picnic" at Hyde Park June 11. June 13 - FDR signed 1.3 Million dollar defense bill. June 20 - FDR appointed former Republicans to counter isolationists. Henry Stimson is Secretary of Army, Frank Knox as Secretary of Navy, they joined Hull, Morganthau, and Hopkins as the "War Cabinet". July 24 - Arita-Craige agreement, British recognize Japanese interests in China. British follow appeasement policy as in Europe. July 26 - FDR terminate 1911 Japanese-American Treaty of Commerce in 6 months, but U.S. Ambassador Joseph argues economic sanctions will not work. Aug. 2 - Einstein letter to FDR suggesting construction of the atomic bomb. Aug. 7 - King Ibn Saud granted oil concession to Aramco. Aug. 15 - Premier of Victor Fleming's isolationist film ("The Wizard of Oz") with its theme song "Over the Rainbow" Aug. 20 - Zhukov defeats Japan at Nomonhan on the Mongolian border. Aug. 23 - Nazi-Soviet Pact - documents (German Non-Aggression Pact, Secret additional Protocol, Partitioning of Poland). Perrett argues this marks the beginning of war. Aug. 28 - Hiranuma resigns due to "inexplicable new conditions" in Europe.
Sept. 1 - Poland invaded by "Blitzkrieg"
Sept. 3 - England and France declared war on Germany. "Polish Collapse" map of Poland, from Time magazine Sept. 25, 1939
Sept. 5 - FDR declared neutrality and national emergency. Sept. 15 - Hearst newsreel "War Comes Home to the New World" including Athenia survivors, German U-boats, Congress debate of arms embargo, Squalus raised. Sept. 17 - Russia invaded Poland, Baltics, Finland Nov. 30. Sept. 22 - Hearst newsreel "The War in Europe!" showed official German films of the invasion of Poland. Sept. 27 - Fall of Warsaw after 20 days of bombardment; Wladyslaw Szpilman played Chopin's Nocturn in C-sharp minor in the Polish state radio show until cut off by German bombs Sept. 23, as told in the 2002 film "The Pianist" based on his 1946 autobiography. Sept. 29 - German-Russian treaty partitioned Poland. Oct. 2 - Declaration of Panama - 300 mile "safety belt" Oct. 17 - Hearst newsreel "War Special! First Films of Warsaw Surrender!" included official German films, war at sea, U-boats, air attack on British carrier Ark Royal.
Nov. 4 -
FDR signed Neutrality Act of 1939 Dec. 13 - British sank German pocket battleship Graf Spee and recovered prisoners from Altmark Feb. 16, 1940
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Feb. 26 - Japan Ambassador Saito dies. He had been an advocate for peace and trade with the U.S. FDR orders the ashes of Saito to be returned to Japan.
Mar. 7 - Navy Minister Yonai announces continued naval expansion program. Yonai is mentor of Yomamoto and successor to militant Nagano who led Japan out of the 1935 London Naval Conference and began construction of the 2 giant battleships "Yamato" and "Musashi" that exceeded the 35,000 ton capital ship limit. These ships were first publicized by Hector Bywater in the London Daily Telegraph Nov. 22, 1937, and Hanson Baldwin in the New York Times Dec. 12, 1937, and caused England and the U.S. to start to build 40,000+ ton battleships (British "Lion" class and U.S. "Iowa" class)
Poland - 1939