The Soviet Union today invaded Poland, crossing the eastern border of the country.
The invasion of Poland by the Soviet Union, only a few weeks after Germany’s own invasion, is a direct result of the secret protocol of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact, a non-aggression agreement between Nazi Germany and the Soviet Union signed on 23 August 1939.
The leaders of Poland, seeing their situation as increasingly dire, have decided to relocate to Romania.
In other news, the British aircraft carrier HMS Courageous was sunk today by U-29. HMS Courageous is the first British warship to be sunk during the war, with the loss of 518 of its 1,259 crew members.
The commander of the German submarine force, Commodore Karl Dönitz, stated the sinking of Courageous is “a wonderful success”. The commander of U-29, Otto Schuhart, will be awarded the Iron Cross First Class, and all members of the crew be award the Iron Cross Second Class.
After the narrow escape of HMS Ark Royal, and now the sinking of HMS Courageous, the Royal Navy has decided to withdraw the valuable aircraft carrier fleet from submarine hunting missions.
