1 Oct 1939
  • Kurt Fricke was awarded Clasp 2nd Class to his Iron Cross. ww2dbase [Kurt Frike | CPC]
Atlantic Ocean
  • The 2,239-ton Belgian merchant steamer Suzon was sailing to Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom loaded with 2,400 tons of pit props for the Welsh mines. The ship had been built in Sunderland, England, United Kingdom by S. P. Austin & Sons, and was owned by a London shipping Company and then named Portwood. In 1930 she was sold to the Belgians and renamed. At 1845 hours German submarine U-35 (Kapitänleutnant Werner Lott) attempted to stop the neutral and unarmed steamer with light signals about 42 miles 330 degrees from the French island of Ushant but the Belgians put on steam and tried to escape. Warning shots were fired which actually hit the ship forcing the Belgian Captain, R. Lejeune, to stop and abandon the ship, knowing that the cargo would be classed as contraband. After the crew were clear the submarine fired a torpedo that struck on the port side of the Suzon abreast the funnel which broke the vessel's back, the two halves sinking almost immediately. The Belgian crew were picked up by HMS Acheron (H 45) commanded by Lieutenant Commander R. F. W. Northcott RN which was escorting the nearby convoy MB-10. ww2dbase [Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | HM]
China Germany United Kingdom
  • British men between the ages of 20-22 became eligible for conscription. ww2dbase [TH]
  • Rawalpindi was commissioned into British Royal Navy service. ww2dbase [Rawalpindi | AC]
Photo(s) dated 1 Oct 1939
Japanese and Soviet officers at the armistice meeting, Mongolia Area, China, 1 Oct 1939; seated were Major General Tetsukuma Fujimoto and Mikhail Ivanovich Potapov

1 Oct 1939 Interactive Map

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis




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Famous WW2 Quote
"The raising of that flag on Suribachi means a Marine Corps for the next 500 years."

James Forrestal, Secretary of the Navy, 23 Feb 1945


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