World War II As It Happened
A MaritimeQuest Daily Event Special Presentation
Wednesday, November 22, 1939
Day 83

November 22, 1939: Front page of the Cambridge Daily News, Cambridge, England.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)
 
Note the report in column 4: "Japan's Grave Concern"
Also note the report in column 5: "Put Prisoners On Our Ships"
(An expanded commentary about this can be seen under the next paper.)


November 22, 1939: Front page of The Leeds Mercury, Leeds, England.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)
Note the report at top left: "Three Fleetwood Trawlers Sunk by U-boats"
(All three trawlers mentioned in the report were sunk by the same U-boat, U-35.)
 
Also note the headline: "Nazis Infuriated By British Reprisal"
The reprisals published in the press were not the only ones considered by the Admiralty or the British Government. On Nov. 16th a high ranking British Admiral suggested the following; "...suggests reprisals for sinking at sight by U-boats, vis. for every ship sunk without crew being placed in safety, the crew of one self-scuttled German merchant ship to be left to take its chances in open boats."

That is to say, do not rescue German merchant crews.

The press of course was unaware of the above statement because it was made in secret documents. This attitude is reflected by Sir Smedley Crook in the Cambridge paper above. His idea appears to have been to carry German prisoners in British ships, making the German government fully aware of this fact. It is supposed that this would cause the Germans to decrease sinkings of British ships for fear that they would kill their own people.

Neither of these proposals were put into action, both were disapproved because members of the War Cabinet believed that this was inhumane, and implementing such a policy would put British seamen at increased risk of German reprisals.
 
(In January of 1940 Sir William Davison made another proposal to abandon German crews at sea, which was again rejected.)


November 22, 1939: Front page of the Press and Journal, Aberdeen, Scotland.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)
 
Note the report in column 3: "Britain Did It"
(Another German propaganda attempt to divert attention.)


November 22, 1939: Front page of The Telegraph, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)
 
Note the headline at top right: "Petrol Rationing Plans Prepared"


November 22, 1939: Front page of The Examiner, Launceston, Tasmania, Australia.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)
 
Note the report in column 3: "America Is Annoyed With Japan"


November 22, 1939: Front page of The Lethbridge Herald, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)


November 22, 1939: Front page of the Winnipeg Free Press, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)


November 22, 1939: Front page of Het Volksdagblad, Amsterdam, Netherlands. (Dutch communist paper.)
(Click on the image for a readable version.)


November 22, 1939: Front page of the Biddeford Daily Journal, Biddeford, Maine.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)
 
Note the headline: "Italian Steamer Strikes Mine Off england"
(The ship was towed to port and repaired, but it was sunk June 12, 1941 by the Dutch submarine O-24.)
Also note the sub-headline: "Nation Divided Over Observing Thanksgiving"
(An interesting story considering today's situation.)


November 22, 1939: Front page of the Butte Montana Standard, Butte, Montana.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)
 
Note the report in column 1: "Russia Declares Her Supremacy In The Baltic"
Also note the report at top center: "Ill-Fated Thetis Beached"
(HMS Thetis sank June 1, 1939 while on trials.)
Also note the report in column 3: "Bund Leader Fritz Kuhn Takes Stand"
(The trial of the so-called American Führer, Fritz Kuhn.)
Also note the report in column 7: "Japanese Envoy Expresses Hope For New Treaty"


November 22, 1939: Front page of The Port Arthur News, Port Arthur, Texas.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)


November 22, 1939: Installment #11 of "Stalin Unmasked" from the San Antonio Light, San Antonio, Texas.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)


November 22, 1939: Front page of the Hamburger Neueste Zeitung, Altona, Hamburg, Germany.
(Click on the image for a readable version.)
1. Die Verhaftung des Attentäters.
(The arrest of the assassins)
2. Organisator: Otto Strasser Hintermänner: Engländer
(Organizer Otto Strasser, backers English.)



   
Page published Nov. 22, 2020