World War II As It Happened
A MaritimeQuest Daily Event Special Presentation
Thursday, September 7, 1939
Day 7

September 7, 1939: Front page of The Daily Mail, Hull, England.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)
Note the sub-headline: "R.A.F. Scores Direst Hits on German Pocket Battleships"
(The story claims sever damage was done to German warships, naming Deutschland, Admiral Scheer and Admiral Graf Spee. In fact only the cruiser Emden was damaged and this was caused when a plane crashed between the ship and the quay wall. The raid was made by 29 British bombers on Wilhelmshaven and Brunsbüttel. Only eight of them actually found the target, three attacked Royal Navy ships in the North Sea by accident. At least seven aircraft were lost in the raid.)
Also note the headline under the War News section: "Italian Press Predicts Three Weeks War"


September 7, 1939: Front page of the Press and Journal, Aberdeen, Scotland.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)


September 7, 1939: Front page of The Leeds Mercury, Leeds, England.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)


September 7, 1939: Front page of the Grimsby Evening Telegraph, Grimsby, England.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)
Note the report at the bottom of column 4: "Food Rationing Plans"


September 7, 1939: Front page of The Telegraph, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)
 
Note the headline: "Raid Sinks German Battleship"
(False report of the sinking of Gneisenau.)
Also note the report in column 4: "British Bombs Fall in Denmark During Air Fight: Regret Expressed"
(The British taking responsibility for the accidental bombing of Esbjerg, Denmark when one of the bombers that was supposed to bomb Kiel, Germany apparently got lost.)


September 7, 1939: Front page of the Daily Telegraph, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)


September 7, 1939: Front page of The Lethbridge Herald, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)
Note the report in column 4: "Hun Sub Sunk By Britain?"
(The first German submarine sunk in World War II was U-39, which was sunk on Sept. 14th.)


September 7, 1939: Front page of the Winnipeg Free Press, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)


September 7, 1939: Front page of The Cedar Rapids Gazette, Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)


September 7, 1939: Front page of The Bismarck Tribune, Bismarck, North Dakota.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)


September 7, 1939: Front page of The Daily Times-News, Burlington, North Carolina.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)


September 7, 1939: Front page of the Nevada State Journal, Reno, Nevada.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)
Note the report in column 7: "Bremen Sighted?"
(Just another unfounded rumor in the saga of the Bremen.)


September 7, 1939: Front page of the Steubenville Herald-Star, Steubenville, Ohio.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)
Note the report in column 1: "Buyers' Rush Limits Sugar Purchases"
(We have experienced much the same with toilet paper and other items during the current pandemic.)


September 7, 1939: Front page of the Teltower Kreisblatt, Teltow District, Germany.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)

1. Polnischer Rückzug auf der ganzen Front.
(Polish retreat across all fronts.)
2. USA: Die Sache steht schlecht für Polen.
(USA: The situation is bad for Poland.)
3. Der Führer wieder im Korridorgebit.
(The Führer back in the combat corridor again.)



Page published Sept. 7, 2020