13 Nov 1939
  • German destroyers Z20, Z18, Z19, and Z21 mined the mouth of the River Thames in southern England, United Kingdom before dawn. At 0526 hours, British cruiser HMS Adventure hit one of the mines and was damaged, killing 23. At 0820 hours, British destroyer Blanche also hit one of the mines and was badly damaged, killing 1 and wounding 12; as Blanche sank while under tow by tugboat Fabia, she became the first British destroyer lost to enemy action in WW2. ww2dbase [CPC]
  • Finnish diplomats Paasikivi and Tanner departed Moscow, Russia after all negotiation attempts failed. ww2dbase [The Winter War | CPC]
  • Adolf Hitler again postponed the invasion of France; the next date for decision was to be 22 Nov 1939. ww2dbase [Invasion of France and the Low Countries | CPC]
Germany Japan
  • Prince Nagahisa's daughter Princess Hatsuko was born. ww2dbase [Nagahisa | CPC]
Romania
  • King Carol II of Romania offered to mediate peace between Germany and the western powers. ww2dbase [Carol II | CPC]
United Kingdom Photo(s) dated 13 Nov 1939
Light cruiser Jintsu during post-modernization trials, Kure, Japan, 13 Nov 1939

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




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

Please help us spread the word:

 Reddit
 Bluesky
 Mastodon

Stay updated with WW2DB:

 RSS Feeds

Search WW2DB
News

Random Photograph

Map showing Allied advance from Rome toward the Arno River, Italy, 5 Jun-5 Aug 1944

Current Site Statistics

Famous WW2 Quote
"I have returned. By the grace of Almighty God, our forces stand again on Philippine soil."

General Douglas MacArthur at Leyte, 17 Oct 1944


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!