23 Oct 1939
- U-56 began her third patrol. ww2dbase [U-56 | CPC]
- On being told by Admiral Erich Raeder that he lacked adequate support from both the civil administration and the other two military branches, Adolf Hitler sent a memorandum to the Air Force and Army Commanders-in-Chiefs as well as to the Ministers concerned. The memo made it clear that "All measures for attacking the merchant shipping and economic resources of Great Britain were to be directed through the O.K.W. (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht)." This gave Raeder the chance to press for a relaxation of the restrictions on sinking neutral vessels trading with England. Hitler however remained adamant that any incidents should be forbidden until he was ready to strike on land. He told the admiral that he was worried about the name of the heavy cruiser Deutschland. As soon as she arrived back her name was to be changed to Lützow. "Should she be sunk with her present name it would have serious repercussions back home." Hitler then ordered a meeting of Naval Staff in Berlin, Germany on 1 Nov 1939. ww2dbase [Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | Adolf Hitler | Erich Raeder | Deutschland | Berlin | HM]
- HMS Edinburgh departed Rosyth, Scotland, United Kingdom. ww2dbase [Edinburgh | Rosyth, Scotland | CPC]
- Life Magazine published 15 of war time photographs of Warsaw, Poland taken by Julien Bryan. ww2dbase [Julien Bryan | CPC]

Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis
Did you enjoy this article or find this article helpful? If so, please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you. Share this article with your friends: Stay updated with WW2DB: |
Search WW2DB & Partner Sites
News
- » Wreck of Samuel B. Roberts Found (27 Jun 2022)
- » Wreck of Jantina Found (4 Jan 2022)
- » WW2DB's 17th Anniversary (29 Dec 2021)
- » Wreck of Johnston Found (8 Apr 2021)
- » See all news
Current Site Statistics
- » 1,123 biographies
- » 334 events
- » 40,455 timeline entries
- » 1,185 ships
- » 341 aircraft models
- » 199 vehicle models
- » 368 weapon models
- » 123 historical documents
- » 238 facilities
- » 467 book reviews
- » 28,525 photos
- » 383 maps
Famous WW2 Quote
"Since peace is now beyond hope, we can but fight to the end."Chiang Kaishek, 31 Jul 1937
Support Us

Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 a month will go a long way. Thank you!

Or, please support us by purchasing some WW2DB merchandise at TeeSpring, Thank you!