18 Oct 1939
- Germany and Soviet Union conducted a prisoner exchange. ww2dbase [TH]
- The heads of state of Finland, Norway, and Sweden met to discuss the tension between Finland and the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, Germany sent a message to Sweden noting that Germany would remain neutral should war break out between Finland and the Soviet Union, advising Sweden to do the same. ww2dbase [The Winter War | CPC]
- Dutch liner Simon Bolivar struck a German magnetic mine in the English Channel 10 miles east of Harwich, England, United Kingdom at 1030 hours; the mine was laid in this shipping lane without warning on the previous day; 86 were killed. The Netherlands made an official protest to Germany regarding this violation in international shipping law. ww2dbase [Start of the Battle of the Atlantic | CPC]
- British armed merchant cruiser HMS California stopped and captured German merchant ship Borkum in the Denmark Strait. ww2dbase [CPC]
- Representatives from Britain, Japan, and the United States reached an agreement regarding to the presence of troops of all three powers in and near the Gulangyu island international zone near Xiamen, China since May 1939; all three pledged to withdraw troops from the international zone and to suppress anti-Japanese activities in the international zone. ww2dbase [Xiamen, Fujian | CPC]
- Adolf Hitler ordered the German military to plan for the invasion of the Soviet Union, using Poland as a staging point. ww2dbase [Operation Barbarossa | CPC]
- Jews in Wloclawek, Poland were forced to wear the Star of David. On the same day, the first Jewish ghetto was established in Lublin, Poland. ww2dbase [Discovery of Concentration Camps and the Holocaust | CPC]
- General Johannes Blaskowitz sent a message to Adolf Hitler, complaining of SS atrocities in Poland. ww2dbase [Johannes Blaskowitz | CPC]
- US President Franklin Roosevelt banned any American port from taking in any foreign combat submarines. ww2dbase [Franklin Roosevelt | CPC]
Please consider supporting us on Patreon. Even $1 per month will go a long way! Thank you. Please help us spread the word: Stay updated with WW2DB: |
Change View
Desktop ViewSearch WW2DB
News
- » The Emperor of Japan Planned to Honor WW2-era Japanese POWs in Mongolia (4 Jul 2025)
- » US State Lawmaker John Winter Caught Using Racial Slur "Jap" and Apologized (11 Jun 2025)
- » Köln/Cologne Evacuated After Discovery of WW2 Bombs (4 Jun 2025)
- » Race, Holocaust, and African-American WW2 Histories Removed from the US Naval Academy Library (7 Apr 2025)
- » US Government Plans to Purge WW2 Information (17 Mar 2025)
- » See all news
Random Photograph
Current Site Statistics
- » 1,177 biographies
- » 337 events
- » 45,081 timeline entries
- » 1,245 ships
- » 350 aircraft models
- » 207 vehicle models
- » 376 weapon models
- » 123 historical documents
- » 261 facilities
- » 470 book reviews
- » 28,493 photos
- » 365 maps
Famous WW2 Quote
"All right, they're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us... they can't get away this time."Lt. Gen. Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller, at Guadalcanal
