Western Front: Hitler's 'Directive No.6': plans and preparations to be made for an early offensive against Holland, Belgium and France. Army High Command draws up Fall Gelb ('Yellow Plan').

Sea War Atlantic: 'City of Flint' Affair: Pocket-Battleship Deutschland captures US freighter, City of Flint, in North Atlantic. Ship finally arrives back at Baltimore, Januar 27, 1940.

Sino-Japanese War: Chinese victory at Changsha.

Map: the war in China from July 7,1937 until the end of 1939 with the years of the Japanese conquests.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 10, 1939

Diplomacy: Soviet-Lithuanian Mutual Assistance Pact: Soviet Forces to be based in Lithuania. Vilna (in Russian Occupation Zone of Poland) to be transferred to Lithuania.

Neutrals Finland: 'Black-out' in Helsinki. Voluntary evacuation of civilians begins.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 11, 1939

Home Front Britain: Clackmannan and E.Stirling by-election: Woodburn (Labour), 15,645 votes; Stewart (Pacifist), 1,060.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 1939

Western Front: BEF now fully deployed along Franco-Belgian border, between Maulde and Halluin.

Picture: Light tanks MK VIC of the BEF.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 13, 1939

Western Front: Skirmishes East of river Moselle. French demolish 3 Rhine bridges.

Picture: A French soldier prepares to fire a Hotchkiss M1914 machine gun.

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 14, 1939

Sea War Atlantic: (MAIN EVENT) BATTLESHIP ROYAL OAK SUNK (833 dead) in 'impregnable' anchorage of Scapa Flow, Orkney Islands, by U-47 from Guenther Prien. British Home Fleet subsequently retires to Loch Ewe (West Scotland).
Polish submarine Orzel reaches British waters after amazing escape from Baltic.

Picture: Battleship Royal Oak.

Western Front: General Gamelin, French CinC, issues melodramatic Order of the Day predicting a massive German offensive 'at any moment'.

Neutrals Finland: Military mobilization.

Secret War: Escaped Polish Intelligence team resume code-breaking operations with their highly secret replicas of the German Enigma machine in France. The Poles had supplied one replica each to Britain and France on July 25.

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 15, 1939

Neutrals Finland: Compulsory National Service introduced.