1939: A SUMMARY OF THE YEAR

Sept 1st: 48 German divisions including six armoured invade Poland.
          Plan Case White heralds start of Second World war.
Sept 3rd: Britain and France decalre war on Germany as Germans
          smash through Polish armies and Warsaw is heavily
          bombed.
Sept 4th: RAF attack German navy in Kiel.          
Sept 5th: Germans break though to Vistual River and Polish
          Government abandons Warsaw for Lublin.
Sept  8th:The Battle of Bzura and assault on Warsaw.
Sept 17th:Russians invade Poland from the East.
Sept 27th:Warsaw surrenders.
Oct  5th: German victory parade in Warsaw.
Oct 14th: German U-boat sinks HMS Royal Oak at Scapa Flow.
Nov 30th: Soviets renounce non-agression pact and invade Finland.
          Finns although badly outnumbered stage a brilliant defence.
          By end of December, the Soviets have lost 27,500 dead as
          opposed to only 2,700 on the Finnish side.
Dec 17th: German battleship Graf Spee is scuttled by her capitain
          in the River Plate estuary,South America.