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• Norway protested British neutrality violation of attacking the German ship Altmark in Norwegian waters. ww2dbase [Altmark Incident | TH]
• As it was customary for new corps commanding officers to dine with the Führer, Hitler's aide Colonel Schmundt arranged such a meeting for Hitler and Manstein. Manstein presented his plan for the invasion of France and the Low Countries, which impressed Hitler. ww2dbase [Erich von Manstein | CPC]
• German submarine U-37 sank British ship Pyrrhus 75 miles west of La Coruña, Spain at 1600 hours, killing 8. 77 survivors were rescued by British merchant ships Uskside and Sinnington Court, which delivered them to Gibraltar. ww2dbase [CPC]
• German submarine U-48 sank Finnish ship Wilja south of Bishop Rock, Isles of Scilly, southwestern England at 2036 hours. All 27 crew members were rescued by Dutch steamer Maasdam and were to Havanna, Cuba. ww2dbase [CPC]
• Karl Hermann Frank and Anna Müller were divorced. ww2dbase [Karl Hermann Frank | CPC]
• U-56 ended her sixth patrol. ww2dbase [U-56 | CPC]

• At 0200 hours, the 1,819-ton Norwegian freighter Kvernaas sailing unescorted was hit by a single torpedo from German submarine U-10 (Oberleutnant zur See Joachim Preuss) and sank after just 5 minutes 4 miles north-west of Schouwen Bank, Netherlands. The crew got off in 2 lifeboats and were picked up by a Dutch steamer Oranjepolder on her way to London, ENgland, United Kingdom, but turned back and took the survivors to the pilot station at Hoek van Holland the following day. Various sources say that the Kvernaas struck a mine. ww2dbase [Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | CPC, HM]

17 Feb 1940 Interactive Map