1939 World Series
Despite the loss, the Reds were an organization on the rise, having improved from eighth and last in the National League in 1937 (56–98, .364) to fourth in '38 (82–68, .547) and first as NL champions in '39. Ironically, despite being dominated by the Bronx Bombers in the 1939 Series, the Reds would return in 1940 to win the World Series while the Yankees finished behind Detroit and Cleveland in the AL pennant race, snapping their consecutive World Series streak at four.


1939 World Series
At a cumulative time of seven hours and five minutes, the 1939 World Series is one of the shortest World Series in real time, and was shorter than the third game of the 2018 World Series that lasted 7 hours, 20 minutes and was 18 innings long.


1939 World Series, Summary
AL New York Yankees (4) vs. NL Cincinnati Reds (0)


1939 World Series, Matchups, Game 1
In the opener, starters Red Ruffing and Paul Derringer pitched complete games. The Reds struck first in the fourth inning when Ival Goodman walked with two outs and scored on Frank McCormick's single, but the Yankees tied the game in the fifth inning Joe Gordon singled and scored on Babe Dahlgren's double. In the bottom of the ninth inning with one out and the score tied 1–1, Charlie Keller tripled. The Reds walked Joe DiMaggio, but Bill Dickey ended it with a walk-off single to center.


1939 World Series, Matchups, Game 2
Lasting just 87 minutes, both pitchers threw complete games, Monte Pearson winning it with a two-hitter. In the bottom of the third inning Babe Dahlgren hit a leadoff double and scored on two groundouts. Red Rolfe then singled and scored on Charlie Keller's double. After another single, Bill Dickey's RBI single made it 3–0 Yankees. They added another run in the fourth inning on Dalgren's home run and took a 2–0 series lead heading to Cincinnati.


1939 World Series, Matchups, Game 3
In Game 3, Charlie Keller's two-run home run the first off of Gene "Junior" Thompson put the Yankees up 2–0. In the bottom half, three consecutive two-out singles, the last an RBI one by Ernie Lombardi, cut the lead to 2–1. Yankees' starter Lefty Gomez left after that inning. In the second, Bump Hadley allowed four singles, the last two of which to Billy Werber and Ival Goodman scoring a run each, but in the third, Joe DiMaggio's two-run home run after a two-out walk to Keller put the Yankees back in front 4–3. They added to their lead in the fifth on Keller's two-run home run and Bill Dickey's home run to knock Thompson out of the game. Their 7–3 win left them one win away from the championship.


1939 World Series, Matchups, Game 4
Neither side scored until the seventh. Home runs by Charlie Keller and Bill Dickey off of starter Paul Derringer put the Yankees on the board, but the Reds struck back in their half of the inning. With runners on second and third via an error and double off of reliever Steve Sundra, Wally Berger's RBI groundout put the Reds on the board, then after a walk, back-to-back RBI singles by Willard Hershberger and Billy Werber put the Reds up 3–2.


1939 World Series, Matchups, Game 4
They added another run next inning when Ival Goodman hit a leadoff double off of Johnny Murphy and scored on Ernie Lombardi's single, but in the ninth after two leadoff singles off of Bucky Walters, Dickey's fielder's choice aided by an error scored a run, then one out later, Joe Gordon's RBI single tied the game. Next inning, with two on via a walk and error, Joe DiMaggio drove them both in with a single and another error allowed DiMaggio himself to score to put the Yankees up 7–4. In the bottom half, Murphy allowed two leadoff singles, but retired the next three batters to end the game and series.


1939 World Series, Composite line score
1939 World Series (4–0): New York Yankees (A.L.) over Cincinnati Reds (N.L.)


1939 World Snooker Championship
The 1939 World Snooker Championship was a snooker tournament held at Thurston's Hall in London, England from 23 January to 4 March 1939. It was the thirteenth edition of the World Snooker Championship. Joe Davis retained the championship title that he had held since 1927. In the best-of-73-frames final against Sidney Smith, Davis won the match 43–30, securing the victory at 37-25 earlier in the match. Fred Davis set a new championship highest break by compiling a 113 in the 22nd frame of his 14–17 semi-final defeat by his brother Joe Davis.


1939 World Snooker Championship
There were fifteen participants, with four players taking part in a qualifying competition for a place in the twelve-person main event. Walter Donaldson, who entered the championship for the first time since his debut in 1933, won the qualifying event, and eliminated Claude Falkiner, a tournament debutant who was taking part in his first cue sports tournament for several years, in the first round of the main draw, before losing in the quarter-finals to Sidney Smith.


1939 World Snooker Championship, Background
The World Snooker Championship is a professional tournament and the official world championship of the game of snooker. The sport was developed in the late 19th century by British Army soldiers stationed in India. Professional English billiards player and billiard hall manager Joe Davis noticed the increasing popularity of snooker compared to billiards in the 1920s, and with Birmingham-based billiards equipment manager Bill Camkin, persuaded the Billiards Association and Control Council (BACC) to recognise an official professional snooker championship in the 1926–27 season.


1939 World Snooker Championship, Background
In 1927, the final of the first professional snooker championship was held at Camkin's Hall; Davis won the tournament by beating Tom Dennis in the final. The annual competition was not titled the World Championship until the 1935 tournament, but the 1927 tournament is now referred to as the first World Snooker Championship. Davis had also won the title every year from 1928 to 1938.


1939 World Snooker Championship, Background
For the 1939 Championship, the BACC announced a closing date for entries of 31 October 1938, and that the main competition would be played at Thurston's Hall. Players would be responsible for organising the qualifying matches themselves, with the first-drawn player drawn for the match being preferred to make the arrangements. All matches except the final were to be played over 31 frames, with the final consisting of 73 frames.


1939 World Snooker Championship, Background
There were 15 entries for the Championship. The number of players places in the competition proper was increased from 8 to 12, with four selected players competing in the qualifying competition. The main event was held over a six-week period from 23 January to 4 March at Thurston's Hall. Qualifying matches had to be completed by 14 January. On 21 January, the 1938/1939 Daily Mail Gold Cup, which was won by Alec Brown, concluded. A preview of the World Championship in The Times suggested that despite the improvement in the standard of play of younger competitor such as Brown and Sidney Smith, Davis was likely to retain the title he had held since the tournament's inception in 1927.


1939 World Snooker Championship, Summary, First round
The first match was between Sidney Smith and Sydney Lee from 23 to 25 January. Smith had a 4–1 lead after the first session, and 6–4 at the end of the first day. The next day, Smith claimed four of the five frames in the afternoon session so was 10–5 ahead. After the fourth session, his advantage was 13–7 and, by winning the first three frames on the final day, he achieved decisive 16–7 lead. The final score after dead frames was 21–10.


1939 World Snooker Championship, Summary, First round
From 26 to 28 January, qualifier Walter Donaldson played Claude Falkiner. Falkiner took three of the five frames in the first session, and Donaldson won three frames from five in the evening, leaving the score was level at 5–5 after the first day. Donaldson won fout of the five frames in both of the sessions on the second day to lead 13–7. On the final day Donaldson took a 16–8 winning lead and ended 21–10 ahead. Falkiner had been had been runner-up in the professional billiards championship in 1920 and 1922. Playing Donaldson was his first competitive cue sports match in several years, and his first participation in the World Snooker Championship. The correspondent for The Times, whilst describing Donaldson as "a player of considerable skill", felt that Falkiner's lack of recent match experience contributed to his defeat.


1939 World Snooker Championship, Summary, First round
The second week started with a match between Tom Newman and Alec Mann, which was held from 30 January to 1 February. Newman led 4–1 following the initial session, and 6–4 after the first day, and increased his lead 13–7 after two days. Newman compiled a 71 break in the opening frame of the final day before a kick ruined his chance of a century break. Newman gained a winning 16–10 lead by taking the first frame of the evening session and finished 19–12 ahead.


1939 World Snooker Championship, Summary, First round
Fred Davis and Conrad Stanbury met in the last first round match, which started on 2 February. Davis won the first six frames and led 13–7 at the start of the final day, 4 February. Davis took a winning 16–9 lead and eventually won 19–12 after dead frames.


1939 World Snooker Championship, Summary, Quarter-finals
Daily Mail Gold Cup winner Alec Brown met Horace Lindrum in the first quarter-final, from 6 to 8 February. He had beaten Lindrum 46–25 in the Gold Cup tournament, but had received a 21-point start in each frame. Brown took a 6–4 lead, winning each of the first two sessions 3–2. On the second day, Brown compiled a break of 83, his highest-ever in competitive play, in the 13th frame. He led 10–5 at the close of the session, and 13–7 at the end of the day. Brown added the last frame on the final afternoon to secure a win at 16–9. Lindrum won five of the evening frames to give a final score of 17–14.


1939 World Snooker Championship, Summary, Quarter-finals
From 9 to 11 February, Sidney Smith played Donaldson in the second quarter-final. By taking three frames in each of the first two sessions, Smith established a 6–4 lead, extending this to 9–6 after winning the third session, again by a single frame. In the fourth session, Donaldson then won three frames in a row to equalise at 9–9, and added a fourth successive frame to lead 10–9. Smith took the last frame of the session and the second day concluded with the pair level at 10–10. Donaldson led 13–12, after the fifth session.


1939 World Snooker Championship, Summary, Quarter-finals
In the concluding session, after Smith won the 26th frame to draw level, Donaldson moved a frame ahead again at 14–13. Smith made a 77 break in the 28th frame to make it 14–14, then added the next frame. Donaldson equalised at 15–15. In the deciding frame, Smith led 43–34 with one red ball left and, taking the red and then a blue and the colours to the pink, won the frame 69–34 and the match 16–15.


1939 World Snooker Championship, Summary, Quarter-finals
The next match was between Fred Davis and Newman, and was played from 13 to 15 February. Davis had won the first six frames in his opening match and on this occasion he won the first seven frames. From 8–2 up after the first two sessions, Davis won the first six frames on the second day to lead 14–2 then led 15–5 overnight, just one frame from victory. Davis won the second frame on the final day to secure victory at 16–6. The final score was 21–10 after dead frames. A match report in The Times referred to Davis as "a sound and steady rather than a brilliant player".


1939 World Snooker Championship, Summary, Quarter-finals
Joe Davis played his first match of the 1939 Championship in the last quarter-final, against Willie Smith, from 16 to 18 February. Davis took a 6–4 lead on the first day after taking three frames from five in both sessions. Smith then won the first four frames of the second day to lead 8–6, but Davis claimed the final six frames for a 12–8 overnight advantage and, by winning the first four frames of the final day, secured a decisive 16–8 lead. During the dead frames, Davis extended his run to 11 frames before Smith won four of the six evening frames to give a final score of 19–12.


1939 World Snooker Championship, Summary, Semi-finals
The first semi-final was between Sidney Smith and Brown, from 20 to 22 February. Brown took a 5–1 lead and led 6–4 overnight. Smith then won the first seven frames on the second day to take an 11–6 lead; the second day ended with the score at 12–8. Smith continued to dominate on the final day winning the match 16–9 by winning the last frame of the afternoon session. The final score was 20–11.


1939 World Snooker Championship, Summary, Semi-finals
From 23 to 25 February, brothers Joe and Fred Davis played each other in the second semi-final. Fred won the first three frames, and led 3–2 after the first session, but Joe led 6–4 overnight. Fred regained the lead on the second afternoon but Joe took four of the evening frames and finished the day 11–9 ahead. Joe won the first frame on the second day but Fred then made a 113 clearance in the 22nd frame.


1939 World Snooker Championship, Summary, Semi-finals
Fred's break, a new record for the World Championship, included 12 reds, 6 blacks, 3 pinks, 2 blues, a brown and then all the colours. Fred won the next frame but Joe then took the following four frames and achieved victory at 16–11. The final score after dead frame was 17–14.


1939 World Snooker Championship, Summary, Final
Joe Davis met Sidney Smith in the final for the second successive year. The final took place from 27 February to 4 March, and was extended from the 61 frames in the previous championship to 73 frames, 6 frames being played per session. Davis won the first five frames and ended the day 8–4 ahead. He extended the lead to 15–9 and 20–10 before Smith won all six frames on the third evening to reduce Davis's lead to 20–16. The fourth afternoon session was shared but Davis won five frames in the evening to lead 28–20.


1939 World Snooker Championship, Summary, Final
Davis made breaks of 73, 64, 69 and 95 in the first seven frames on the fifth day, and ended the day 35–25 ahead, two frames from victory. Davis took the first two frames on the final day to win the match 37–25. The remaining 11 frames were played leaving a final score of 43–30. Davis was presented with the championship trophy by author Compton Mackenzie.


1939 World Snooker Championship, Summary, Final
It was the thirteenth consecutive world championship won by Davis, a feat that the Birmingham Post's correspondent wrote "proved again .. that he has no equal as a snooker player". Snooker historian Clive Everton called Davis's semi-final win over his brother "the strongest challenge [Joe Davis] had yet encountered" in the history of the tournament".


1939 World Snooker Championship, Main draw
Match results are shown below. Winning players and scores are denoted in bold text.


1939 World Snooker Championship, Qualifying
Walter Donaldson, who had last entered the tournament on his debut in 1933 World Snooker Championship, met Herbert Holt in the first qualifying match at the Lion Hotel, Blackpool from 8–10 December 1938. Holt led 11–9 after two days but only won two frames on the final day, Donaldson taking a winning 16–13 lead and finishing 18–13 ahead. the match between Dickie Laws and Stanley Newman was played at Thurston's Hall. The match was played on 28, 30 and 31 December 1938, there being a charity event organised for the 29th.


1939 World Snooker Championship, Qualifying
The match was level at 5–5 after the first day but Laws led 13–7 after the second day. Newman reduced Laws lead to 14–12 on the final day but Laws won the remaining frames to take a winning 16–12 lead with a final score of 19–12. The final of the qualifying event was played in Liverpool on 11–13 January. Laws took a 6–4 lead but Donaldson won eight frames on the second day to lead 12–8. Donaldson extended his lead to 15–10 after the final afternoon session and, by winning the second frame of the evening session,  took a winning 16–11 lead. The final score was 18–13.


1939 World Table Tennis Championships
The 1939 World Table Tennis Championships were held in Cairo from March 6 to March 11, 1939.


1939 World Table Tennis Championships
Only 11 men's teams and 5 women's teams entered the Championships. Hungary, the United States and Austria were the major nations missing. Viktor Barna and Richard Bergmann played under the England flag for the first time.


1939 World Table Tennis Championships – Men's Doubles
The 1939 World Table Tennis Championships – Men's Doubles was the 13th edition of the men's doubles championship. Viktor Barna and Richard Bergmann won the title after defeating Miloslav Hamr and Josef Tartakower in the final by three sets to two.


1939 World Table Tennis Championships – Men's Doubles
Only 11 men's teams and 5 women's teams entered the Championships. Hungary, the United States and Austria were the major nations missing. The eventual doubles champions Viktor Barna and Richard Bergmann played under the England flag for the first time after fleeing the Nazis in Europe.


1939 World Table Tennis Championships – Men's Singles
The 1939 World Table Tennis Championships – Men's Singles was the 13th edition of the men's singles championship.


1939 World Table Tennis Championships – Men's Singles
Richard Bergmann defeated Alojzy Ehrlich in the final, winning three sets to nil to secure the title. The eventual champion Bergmann and former winner Viktor Barna both represented England after fleeing the Nazis in Europe.


1939 World Table Tennis Championships – Men's Singles
Only 11 men's teams and 5 women's teams entered the Championships. Hungary, the United States and Austria were the major nations missing.


1939 World Table Tennis Championships – Men's Team
The 1939 World Table Tennis Championships – Swaythling Cup (Men's Team) was the 13th edition of the men's team championship.


1939 World Table Tennis Championships – Men's Team
Czechoslovakia won the gold medal with a perfect 10-0 match record.


1939 World Table Tennis Championships – Mixed Doubles
The 1939 World Table Tennis Championships – Mixed Doubles was the 13th edition of the mixed doubles championship.


1939 World Table Tennis Championships – Mixed Doubles
Bohumil Váňa and Věra Votrubcová defeated Václav Tereba and Marie Kettnerová in the final by three sets to two.


1939 World Table Tennis Championships – Women's Doubles
The 1939 World Table Tennis Championships – Women's Doubles was the 12th edition of the women's doubles championship. Gertrude Pritzi and Hilde Bussmann defeated Sári Kolosvari and Angelica Adelstein in the final by three sets to nil.


1939 World Table Tennis Championships – Women's Doubles
After the annexation of Austria by Germany, the Austrian Pritzi had to participate under the Nazi Germany flag.


1939 World Table Tennis Championships – Women's Singles
The 1939 World Table Tennis Championships – Women's Singles was the 13th edition of the women's singles championship. Vlasta Depetrisová defeated Gertrude Pritzi in the final by three sets to two, to win the title. The tournament suffered from lack of entries due to the troubles in Europe and the forthcoming World War II. Only 11 men's teams and 5 women's teams entered the Championships. Hungary, the United States and Austria were the major nations missing.


1939 World Table Tennis Championships – Women's Singles
After the annexation of Austria by Germany, the Austrian Pritzi had to participate under the Nazi Germany flag.


1939 World Table Tennis Championships – Women's Team
The 1939 World Table Tennis Championships – Corbillon Cup (Women's Team) was the sixth edition of the women's team championship.


1939 World Table Tennis Championships – Women's Team
Germany won the gold medal in a drastically reduced competition with only five teams taking part.


1939 Wyoming Cowboys football team
The 1939 Wyoming Cowboys football team represented the University of Wyoming in the Mountain States Conference (MSC) during the 1939 college football season. In its first and only season under head coach Joel Hunt, the team compiled a 0–7–1 record (0–5–1 against MSC opponents) and was outscored by a total of 241 to 47.


1939 Yale Bulldogs football team
The 1939 Yale Bulldogs football team represented Yale University in the 1939 college football season. The Bulldogs were led by sixth-year head coach Ducky Pond, played their home games at the Yale Bowl and finished the season with a 3–4–1 record.


1939 college football season
The 1939 college football season concluded with the Aggies of The Agricultural and Mechanical College of Texas (Texas A&M) being named as the national champions by the voters in the Associated Press writers' poll.


1939 college football season
The Volunteers of the University of Tennessee were unbeaten and untied, and unscored upon, shutting out all of their opponents in ten games; but for the second straight year, they finished second in the poll. The final AP Poll in this era came out before postseason bowl games and, in the 1940 Rose Bowl, the Volunteers were unable to hold everyone scoreless, with the University of Southern California registering two touchdowns and beating them 14–0.


1939 college football season
As a consequence, the Dickinson System named USC, which had been ranked No. 3 in the final AP Poll before the bowl games, the national champion. As a result, the USC Trojans now claim a share of the 1939 title. However, USC did not begin recognizing 1939 as a national championship until 2004.


1939 college football season
The first AP Poll of the season was taken after four weeks of play, starting with October 16. Each writer listed his choice for the top ten teams, and points were tallied based on 10 for first place, 9 for second, etc., and the AP then ranked the twenty teams with the highest number of points.


1939 college football season, September
September 30 Defending champion TCU lost at UCLA, 6–2, on 9/29, and finished 3–7–0. Tennessee won at N.C. State, 13–0. Duke beat Davidson 26–6. Oklahoma and SMU played to a 7–7 tie. Notre Dame beat Purdue 3–0. Tulane edged Clemson 7–6. Fordham defeated Waynesburg 34–7 in the first-ever televised football game.


1939 college football season, October
October 7 Tennessee beat Sewanee 40–0. Duke defeated Colgate 37–0. Notre Dame beat Georgia Tech 17–14. Tulane beat Auburn 12–0. Oklahoma won at Northwestern, 23–0.


1939 college football season, October
October 14 Pittsburgh beat Duke 14–13. Tennessee won at Chattanooga, 28–0. Notre Dame edged SMU, 20–19. Tulane beat Fordham 7–0. Oklahoma beat Texas 24–12.


1939 college football season, October
October 21 No. 1 Pittsburgh lost to cross-town rival Duquesne, 21–13. In Cleveland, No. 2 Notre Dame defeated Navy, 14–7. No. 3 Oklahoma beat Kansas 27–7. No. 4 Tulane and visiting No. 14 North Carolina played to a 14–14 tie. No. 5 Tennessee continued shutting out its opponents, beating No. 8 Alabama 21–0, and was voted No. 1 in the next poll. No. 6 Michigan visited the Windy City and handed the University of Chicago an 85–0 defeat. No. 9 Texas A&M reached 5–0–0 with a 20–6 win over TCU, and rose to fifth in the next poll. No. 10 Ohio State won at Minnesota, 23–20.


1939 college football season, October
October 28No. 1 Tennessee defeated Mercer, 17–0. In Pittsburgh, No. 2 Notre Dame edged Carnegie Tech, 7–6. No. 3 Michigan beat Yale 27–7. No. 4 Ohio State lost to No. 7 Cornell, 23–14. No. 5 Texas A&M beat Baylor 20–0. Nebraska defeated Kansas State in the second televised football game 25–9.


1939 college football season, November
November 4 No. 1 Tennessee won at No. 18 LSU, 20–0. No. 2 Michigan lost at unranked Illinois, 16–7. No. 3 Cornell beat Columbia 13–7. At Yankee Stadium, No. 4 Notre Dame beat Army 14–0. No. 5 Texas A&M won at Arkansas 27–0. No. 7 USC beat No. 11 Oregon State 19–7 in Portland.


1939 college football season, November
November 11 No. 1 Tennessee shut out the Citadel, 34–0No. 2 Texas A&M defeated No. 13 SMU 6–2. No. 3 Notre Dame, victor by one point in previous games, lost at unranked Iowa, 7–6. No. 4 USC beat Stanford 20–12. No. 5 Cornell narrowly beat Colgate 14–12. No. 6 Oklahoma won at Kansas State 13–10.


1939 college football season, November
November 18 No. 1 Tennessee extended its shutout streak, beating Vanderbilt 13–0. Having outscored its opposition, 186–0, Tennessee had a record of 8–0–0, but fell to second in the poll that followed. No. 2 Texas A&M won at Rice 19–0, and was No. 1 in the next poll. No. 3 USC was idle. No. 4 Cornell won at No. 20 Dartmouth, 35–6, to stay unbeaten. No. 5 Oklahoma lost at No. 12 Missouri, 7–6. No. 6 Tulane beat Columbia 25–0.


1939 college football season, November
In the next poll, Texas A&M-- which had gotten none of the first place votes the week before—was first, with 38 votes. Tennessee, which had had 66 of the 85 No. 1 votes the week before, had 33 on the new round of ballots, and finished second. There were 20 for Cornell, and 11 for USC.


1939 college football season, November
November 25No. 1 Texas A&M and No. 2 Tennessee were idle. In Philadelphia, No. 3 Cornell closed its season with a 26–0 over Penn, to finish unbeaten and untied at 8–0–0. No. 4 USC won at No. 7 Notre Dame, 20–12. No. 5 Tulane beat Sewanee 52–0. In the next round of voting, Texas A&M tied for first place, with 939 points apiece. A&M had more first place votes (27 to 25), but Cornell, with 34 votes, had more. Cornell had 909 points overall.


1939 college football season, November
On Thanksgiving Day, which fell on November 30 in 1939, No. 1 Texas A&M beat Texas 20–0, to complete a 10–0–0 season, and No. 4 Tennessee won at Kentucky, 19–0. Two days later, December 2, No. 1 USC beat Washington 9–7. No. 5 Tulane beat LSU 33–20.


1939 college football season, November
December 9No. 1 Texas A&M had finished its season and accepted a bid to the Sugar Bowl. No. 2 Tennessee beat Auburn 7–0. No. 3 USC and No. 9 UCLA played to a 0–0 tie. No. 4 Cornell and No. 5 Tulane had both completed their seasons.


1939 general re-description of highway system (Texas)
In 1939, the Texas Highway Department renumbered all highways that ran concurrently with U.S. Highways. Sections of state highways that were separated by a concurrency with a US Highway were renumbered, and all suffixed routes (that did not become part of other highways or other state highways) were renumbered.


1939 general re-description of highway system (Texas)
Routes not in the above table; if nothing is stated no changes were made


1939 in Afghanistan
The following lists events that happened during 1939 in Afghanistan.


1939 in Afghanistan
A year of otherwise peaceful progress is broken by echoes of the trouble in Europe. The government declares its neutrality, but is reported to have ordered a general mobilization and to be exercising special vigilance on the Soviet frontier. In its attitude generally, Afghanistan is keeping touch with the other signatories of the Treaty of Saadabad, (Turkey, Iraq, and Iran).


1939 in Afghanistan, May 1939
It is announced that the government has decided to privatize all government-owned factories.


1939 in Afghanistan, September 7, 1939
In the week following the German invasion of Poland, hostilities against the government are opened on the eastern border by a tribal gathering from Tirah, but it is suppressed in little more than a week by joint action on the part of the Afghan and British authorities.


1939 in Afghanistan, December 1939
The government announces the opening of a twice-weekly bus service between Kabul and Mazari Sharif, in Afghan Turkestan, a distance of 382 miles (615 km), by a road traversing the Hindu Kush which was first planned by King Nadir Shah.


1939 in Australia
The following lists events that happened during 1939 in Australia.


1939 in Australian literature
This article presents a list of the historical events and publications of Australian literature during 1939.


1939 in Australian literature, Events
The Queenslander ceases publication after the last edition on February 22 1939. The magazine was first published on February 3 1866 by Thomas Blacket Stephens in Brisbane and published serialised novels, poems and short stories by many Australian writers.


1939 in Australian literature, Births
A list, ordered by date of birth (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of births in 1939 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of death.


1939 in Australian literature, Deaths
A list, ordered by date of death (and, if the date is either unspecified or repeated, ordered alphabetically by surname) of deaths in 1939 of Australian literary figures, authors of written works or literature-related individuals follows, including year of birth.


1939 in Brazilian football
The following article presents a summary of the 1939 football (soccer) season in Brazil, which was the 38th season of competitive football in the country.


1939 in Brazilian football, Brazil national team
The following table lists all the games played by the Brazil national football team in official competitions and friendly matches during 1939.


1939 in British music
This is a summary of 1939 in music in the United Kingdom.


1939 in British radio
This is a list of events from British radio in 1939.


1939 in British television
This is a list of British television related events from 1939.


1939 in Canada, Historical Documents
Labour Day finds fighters and nurses enlisting for overseas service and Red Cross rushing its wartime planning


1939 in Canada, Historical Documents
Editorial says Canada and Commonwealth are "one and indivisible, [and] pledged unwaveringly to the support of the Mother Country"


1939 in Canada, Historical Documents
Before declaring war, PM King asks Commons for "authority for effective cooperation by Canada at the side of Britain"


1939 in Canada, Historical Documents
MP J.S. Woodsworth interrogates "cooperation," unspoken government policy, and whether Canada is already in war


1939 in Canada, Historical Documents
"We cannot be at peace while the head of this Empire is at war" - Sen. Arthur Meighen insists Canada enter European conflict


1939 in Canada, Historical Documents
Editorial says PM King, in choosing home defence over expeditionary force, is not giving "definite leadership"


1939 in Canada, Historical Documents
Regimen for Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry's transport ship includes lectures, training and organized games


1939 in Canada, Historical Documents
Enlisted man's 1939 surprises: Poland's fall weeks after invasion, and Christmas invitation given on his first day in England


1939 in Canada, Historical Documents
Editorial says "equality of sacrifice," essential to war effort, must include fairness in agricultural costs, prices and margins


1939 in Canada, Historical Documents
MP A.A. Heaps advocates joining other countries in welcoming refugees from persecution


1939 in Canada, Historical Documents
"Only a mile from home" - Eleven-year-old student Andrew Gordon from Gordon's reserve residential school dies of exposure walking home


1939 in Canada, Historical Documents
Supreme Court finds tavern, in absence of specific law, has "freedom of commerce" to not serve Black man


1939 in Canada, Historical Documents
Law professor comments on Quebec's Padlock Law allowing police to seal premises and arrest occupants deemed "communistic"


1939 in Canada, Historical Documents
Private intelligence agency offers to spy on corporation's workers to detect "plots, plans and unrest"


1939 in Canada, Historical Documents
Mao's appreciation of Norman Bethune - "We must all learn the spirit of absolute selflessness from him"


1939 in Canada, Historical Documents
Poster: "Time Is Life" depicts Bethune riding a galloping horse


1939 in Canada, Historical Documents
King George VI - "It is my earnest hope that my present visit may give my Canadian people a deeper conception of their unity as a nation."


1939 in Canada, Historical Documents
Woman records her excitement over 1939 royal tour of George VI and Elizabeth in her diary


1939 in Canada, Historical Documents
Film of royal tour's stops in Calgary, Banff, Vancouver and Victoria


1939 in Canada, Historical Documents
CBC chairman tells House committee move into television will not come soon because of its current technical and financial limitations


1939 in Canada, Historical Documents
Course in interior decoration includes hands-on stitching, glazing, block-printing, weaving, lettering, etc., etc.


1939 in Canada, Historical Documents
Photo: children work on their art projects in Arthur Lismer's children's art classes in Toronto


1939 in Canada, Historical Documents
Calling "more friendly relations" essential to world progress, bank's advertisement pledges friendship in its service


1939 in Canadian football
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers played in their third consecutive Grey Cup final. A last-second rouge gave Winnipeg its second title in five years.


1939 in Canadian football, Regular season, final standings
Column headings: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, PF = Points for, PA = Points against, Pts = Points


1939 in Canadian football, Grey Cup Championship
27th Annual Grey Cup Game: Lansdowne Park – Ottawa, Ontario


1939 in Canadian football, 1939 Interprovincial Rugby Football Union All-Stars
NOTE: During this time most players played both ways, so the All-Star selections do not distinguish between some offensive and defensive positions.


1939 in Canadian football, 1939 Ontario Rugby Football Union All-Stars
NOTE: During this time most players played both ways, so the All-Star selections do not distinguish between some offensive and defensive positions.


1939 in Cape Verde
The following lists events that happened during 1939 in Cape Verde.


1939 in Chile
The following lists events that happened during 1939 in Chile.


1939 in China, Events, December
This month, Chongqing National Government required the assembly of four commercial transport aircraft provided by US companies in Hong Kong, which was rejected by the British Hong Kong Government.


1939 in El Salvador
The following lists events that happened in 1939 in El Salvador.


1939 in Estonia
This article lists events that occurred during 1939 in Estonia.


1939 in Iceland
The following lists events that happened in 1939 in Iceland.


1939 in Italian television
This is a list of Italian television related events from 1939


1939 in Japanese football
This is the current revision of this page, as edited by BHGbot (talk | contribs) at 03:03, 19 June 2020 (WP:BHGbot 6 (List 5): eponymous category first, per MOS:CATORDER; WP:GENFIXES). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this version.


1939 in Malaya
This article lists important figures and events in the public affairs of British Malaya during the year 1939, together with births and deaths of prominent Malayans.


1939 in Mandatory Palestine
Events in the year 1939 in the British Mandate of Palestine.


1939 in Michigan, Population
In the 1930 United States Census, Michigan was recorded as having a population of 4,842,325, ranking as the seventh most populous state in the country. By 1940, Michigan's population had increased by 8.5% to 5,256,106.


1939 in Michigan, Population, Cities
The following is a list of cities in Michigan with a population of at least 20,000 based on 1930 U.S. Census data. Historic census data from 1920 and 1940 is included to reflect trends in population increases or decreases. Cities that are part of the Detroit metropolitan area are shaded in tan.


1939 in Michigan, Population, Counties
The following is a list of counties in Michigan with populations of at least 50,000 based on 1930 U.S. Census data. Historic census data from 1920 and 1940 are included to reflect trends in population increases or decreases.


1939 in New Zealand
The following lists events that happened during 1939 in New Zealand.


1939 in New Zealand, Incumbents, Government
The 26th New Zealand Parliament continued with the Labour Party in government.


1939 in New Zealand, Arts and literature, Film
See : Category:1939 film awards, 1939 in film, List of New Zealand feature films, Cinema of New Zealand, Category:1939 films


1939 in New Zealand, Sport, Basketball
A second interprovincial championship is held even though there is still no national association. (see 1938 and 1946)


1939 in New Zealand, Sport, Lawn bowls
The national outdoor lawn bowls championships are held in Auckland.


1939 in Norwegian football, Norgesserien 1938/39, Championship rounds, First round
May 25: Skeid-Nydalen 2-2 (Total 5-2)May 26: Ørn-Odd 1-2 (Total 4-2)May 29: Flekkefjord-Stavanger IF 2-3 (Total 2-4)


1939 in Norwegian football, Promotion
Briskebyen, Egersund, Kvik Trondheim, Mandalskameratene, Molde, Pallas, selbak, Solberg, Tønsbergkameratene, Ulefoss, Vikersund


1939 in Norwegian football, Norwegian Cup, Third round
Ålgård-Storm 3-0Brage-Hamar IL 3-2Lillestrøm-Clausenengen 6-1Djerv-Viking 1-4Tønsberg Turn-Drafn 1-4Sarpsborg-Frigg 1-0Gjøa-Hardy 4-2Mjøndalen-Gleng 6-1Jarl-Stavanger IF 3-2 (a.e.t.) Kristiansund-Steinkjer 4-2Moss-Gjøvik/Lyn 5-1Lyn-Vigør 7-1Rosenborg-Odd 0-3Torp-Ørn 2-1


1939 in Norwegian music
The following is a list of notable events and releases of the year 1939 in Norwegian music.


1939 in Poland, Political incumbents
On September 30, 1939, the last government of the Second Polish Republic which resided in Warsaw was dissolved. The government was originally designed on May 15, 1936, by president of Poland Ignacy Mościcki under prime minister Felicjan Sławoj Składkowski.


1939 in Portugal, Deaths
27 March - António Xavier Pereira Coutinho, botanist (born 1851)14 April - José Júlio de Souza Pinto, painter (born 1856)


1939 in South Africa
The following lists events that happened during 1939 in South Africa.


1939 in South Africa, Railways, Locomotives
The first two diesel-electric locomotive types enter service on the South African Railways (SAR):


1939 in Taiwan
Events from the year 1939 in Taiwan, Empire of Japan.


1939 in Thailand
The year 1939 was the 158th year of the Rattanakosin Kingdom of Siam. It was the fifth year in the reign of King Ananda Mahidol (Rama VIII), and is reckoned as year 2481 (1 January – 31 March) and 2482 (1 April – 31 December) in the Buddhist Era. The name of the country was changed to Thailand this year.


1939 in Wales
This article is about the particular significance of the year 1939 to Wales and its people.


1939 in animation
This is a list of events related to film and television animation of 1939.


1939 in association football
The following are the football (soccer) events of the year 1939 throughout the world.


1939 in association football, Events
Many football leagues throughout Europe are suspended or abandoned following the start of the Second World War.


1939 in baseball
The following are the baseball events of the year 1939  throughout the world.


1939 in baseball, Events, June – July
Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of this earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans. Look at these grand men. Which of you wouldn't consider it the highlight of his career just to associate with them for even one day? Sure, I'm lucky. Who wouldn't consider it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert? Also, the builder of baseball's greatest empire, Ed Barrow?


1939 in baseball, Events, June – July
To have spent six years with that wonderful little fellow, Miller Huggins? Then to have spent the next nine years with that outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology, the best manager in baseball today, Joe McCarthy? Sure, I'm lucky. When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift – that's something. When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies – that's something.


1939 in baseball, Events, June – July
When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter – that's something. When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so you can have an education and build your body – it's a blessing. When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed – that's the finest I know. So I close in saying that I may have had a tough break, but I have an awful lot to live for.


1939 in basketball
The following are the basketball events of the year 1939  throughout the world.


1939 in chess
The below is a list of events in chess in 1939.


1939 in chess, Team matches
(Eliskases 1½ Barcza; Bogoljubow 11 E.Steiner; Kieninger ½½ Rethy; Gilg ½1 Vajda; P.Michel 1½ Szily; Rellstab 1½ Tipary; Richter 11 Füster; Heinicke 1½ Törok; Kohler ½½ Balla; A.Becker ½1 Negyessi; Zollner 00 Balogh; L.Schmitt ½1 Sarközy; Lokvenc 1½ St. Gecsei; Schlage ½0 Sebestyen; Blümich ½½ Bakonyi; Hahn 1½ Sooky; R.Keller ½½ Laszlo; Krassnig ½1 Szentkiralyi-Toth; Platt ½1 Vargha; H.Keller ½1 Rög)


1939 in chess, Team matches
(Euwe 0½ Alexander; Landau 10 Thomas; Van den Bosch 1½ Milner-Barry; Cortlever 00 Broadbent; Van Scheltinga ½½ Golombek; G.S.Fontein 0½ Winter; De Groot ½1 E.G.Sergeant; Muhring 11 B.H.Wood; Mulder 0½ Parr; J.H.C.Fontein ½1 Lenton)


1939 in comics
Notable events of 1939 in comics. See also List of years in comics.


1939 in country music
This is a list of notable events in country music that took place in the year 1939.


1939 in film
The year 1939 in film is widely considered the greatest year in film history. The ten Best Picture-nominated movies that year include classics in multiple genres.


1939 in film, Top-grossing films (U.S.)
The top ten 1939 released films by box office gross in North America are as follows:


1939 in film, Events
Film historians often rate 1939 as "the greatest year in the history of Hollywood". Hollywood films produced in Southern California were at the height of their Golden Age (in spite of many cheaply made or undistinguished films' also being produced, something to be expected with any year in commercial cinema), and during 1939 there are the premieres of an outstandingly large number of exceptional motion pictures, many of which become honored as all-time classic films.


1939 in film, Nominations for the Academy Award for Best Picture and Director
The year 1939 was one in which the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominated ten films for Best Picture:


1939 in film, Nominations for the Academy Award for Best Picture and Director
These films came from a wide variety of film genres and sources for their stories and settings, including: historical fiction (Gone with the Wind), contemporary affairs (Mr. Smith Goes to Washington and Of Mice and Men), love stories, classic novels (Wuthering Heights), fantasies/musicals, (The Wizard of Oz), tragic plays (Dark Victory), westerns (Stagecoach), and comedies (Ninotchka).


1939 in film, Nominations for the Academy Award for Best Picture and Director
Each of the five nominees for Best Director of 1939 were or went on to become a legendary film director with multiple acclaimed films to his credit: Frank Capra (previous winner of the award), Victor Fleming, John Ford (who won a record four Best Director awards), Sam Wood, and William Wyler (who leads all directors in nominations with 11 while having three wins).


1939 in film, Academy Awards
Gone with the Wind receives in all ten Academy Awards (eight competitive, two honorary) from thirteen nominations.


1939 in fine arts of the Soviet Union
The year 1939 was marked by many events that left an imprint on the history of Soviet and Russian fine arts.


1939 in jazz
This is a timeline documenting events of Jazz in the year 1939.


1939 in literature
This article contains information about the literary events and publications of 1939.


1939 in motorsport
The following is an overview of the events of 1939 in motorsport including the major racing events, motorsport venues that were opened and closed during a year, championships and non-championship events that were established and disestablished in a year, and births and deaths of racing drivers and other motorsport people.


1939 in motorsport, Annual events
The calendar includes only annual major non-championship events or annual events that had own significance separate from the championship. For the dates of the championship events see related season articles.


1939 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1939.


1939 in music, Biggest hit songs
The following songs achieved the highest in the limited set of charts available for 1939.


1939 in paleontology
Paleontology or palaeontology is the study of prehistoric life forms on Earth through the examination of plant and animal fossils. This includes the study of body fossils, tracks (ichnites), burrows, cast-off parts, fossilised feces (coprolites), palynomorphs and chemical residues. Because humans have encountered fossils for millennia, paleontology has a long history both before and after becoming formalized as a science. This article records significant discoveries and events related to paleontology that occurred or were published in the year 1939.


1939 in paleontology, Arthropods, Newly named insects
Fossil Dolichoderine ant, type species C. succinalis jr synonym of Ctenobethylus goepperti


1939 in poetry
Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature (for instance, Irish or France).


1939 in poetry, Works published in other languages, Indian subcontinent
Including all of the British colonies that later became India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Nepal. Listed alphabetically by first name, regardless of surname:


1939 in poetry, Births
Death years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:


1939 in poetry, Deaths
Birth years link to the corresponding "[year] in poetry" article:


1939 in professional wrestling
1939 in professional wrestling describes the year's events in the world of professional wrestling.


1939 in radio
The year 1939 saw a number of significant events in radio broadcasting.


1939 in rail transport
This article lists events related to rail transport that occurred in 1939.


1939 in science
The year 1939 in science and technology involved some significant events, listed below.


1939 in sports
1939 in sports describes the year's events in world sports.


1939 in sports, Alpine skiing
FIS Alpine World Ski Championships9th FIS Alpine World Ski Championships are held at Zakopane, Poland. The events are a downhill, a slalom and a combined race in both the men's and women's categories. The winners are:


1939 in television
The year 1939 in television involved some significant events. Below is a list of television-related events during 1939.


1939 in the Belgian Congo
The following lists events that happened during 1939 in the Belgian Congo.


1939 in the Soviet Union
The following lists events that happened during 1939 in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.


1939 in the United Kingdom
Events from the year 1939 in the United Kingdom. This year sees the start of the Second World War, ending the Interwar period.


1939 papal conclave
Following the death of Pope Pius XI on 10 February 1939, all 62 cardinals of the Catholic Church met in the 1939 papal conclave on 1 March. The next day, on the third ballot, they elected Eugenio Cardinal Pacelli, who was Camerlengo and Secretary of State, as pope. He accepted and took the name Pius XII. It was his 63rd birthday.


1939 papal conclave
The conclave of 1939 was the shortest of the 20th century.


1939 papal conclave
Pacelli was the first member of the Roman Curia to become pope since Gregory XVI (1831) and the first Roman since Innocent XIII (1731).


1939 papal conclave, Papabili
Time magazine announced that likely contenders for the papacy included August Hlond of Gniezno-Poznań, Karl Joseph Schulte of Cologne, the Curia veteran Eugène-Gabriel-Gervais-Laurent Tisserant, Ildefonso Schuster of Milan, Adeodato Giovanni Piazza of Venice, Maurilio Fossati of Turin, and Eugenio Pacelli, a longtime diplomat in the service of the Holy See. The prospect of a non-Italian pope for the first time since  Pope Adrian VI in 1522 was considered more likely than in previous conclaves.


1939 papal conclave, Papabili
On 13 February, The New York Times dismissed the idea of a non-Italian given the current state of international hostilities, though it thought Jean-Marie-Rodrigue Villeneuve of Quebec the least objectionable to the contending powers. It discounted Pacelli since there was no precedent for the election of the Secretary of State, and precedent argued against the election of any member of the Curia as well as three key Italians who were members of religious orders. The five Italians remaining were Alessio Ascalesi of Naples, Giovanni Nasalli Rocca di Corneliano of Bologna, Luigi Lavitrano of Palermo, Maurilio Fossati of Turin, and Elia dalla Costa of Florence. By 20 February the paper found greater interest in the curial cardinals, Francesco Marmaggi, Massimo Massimi, and Luigi Maglione.


1939 papal conclave, Papabili
Pacelli was heavily favored among the cardinals to win. Pius XI had hinted that he favored Pacelli as his successor. On 15 December 1937, during his last consistory, Pius XI strongly hinted to the cardinals that he expected Pacelli to be his successor, saying "He is in your midst." He had previously been quoted as saying: "When today the Pope dies, you'll get another one tomorrow, because the Church continues. It would be a much bigger tragedy, if Cardinal Pacelli dies, because there is only one. I pray every day, God may send another one into one of our seminaries, but as of today, there is only one in this world."


1939 papal conclave, Papabili
Like Pius X, Pius XI had been a blunt-spoken, no-nonsense pontiff. Assembling in 1939 as the outbreak of hostilities that became World War II was widely anticipated, the cardinals turned to a soft-spoken diplomat.


1939 papal conclave, Balloting
Pacelli, in his role as Camerlengo, announced on 10 February that the College would wait the maximum time allowed, eighteen days from the death of the pope, to start the conclave. The time period before starting had been lengthened following the previous conclave, for which three North American cardinals had arrived too late to participate. When the 31 cardinals available discussed the question on 11 February, they amended his plan only to provide that they would start earlier if all those who planned to attend had arrived in Rome.


1939 papal conclave, Balloting
The cardinals arrived slowly in Rome, with just 37 attending the papal funeral on 14 February and 46 at a funeral Mass on 18 February. By 20 February, starting the conclave on 28 February appeared to be a possibility, as only three non-Italians had yet to arrive: William Henry O'Connell of Boston, Sebastião da Silveira Cintra of Rio de Janeiro, and Santiago Copello of Buenos Aires. On 22 February the cardinals sitting in general congregation settled on 1 March, expecting the three to arrive at Naples on the S.S. Neptunia on that morning.


1939 papal conclave, Balloting
The conclave was held in the Apostolic Palace. All the cardinals attended, 35 Italians and 27 from other countries. The doors closed at 6:17 pm.


1939 papal conclave, Balloting
Pacelli won a narrow victory on the second ballot with the lowest possible two-thirds majority, 42 out of 62. He then asked for an additional ballot to confirm his election by a larger margin. To the question "Acceptasne electionem de te canonice factam in Summum Pontificem? ", Pacelli replied "Accepto in crucem" (I accept it as a cross). He explained his choice of Pius by saying, "I call myself Pius; my whole life was under Popes with this name, but especially as a sign of gratitude towards Pius XI."


1939 papal conclave, Balloting
The white smoke signifying a successful election appeared at 5:30 pm, but began to turn black. Vincenzo Santoro, the conclave secretary, then sent a note to Vatican Radio to confirm that the smoke was white and Pacelli had been elected. At 6:06 pm, the Protodeacon, Cardinal Camillo Caccia-Dominioni, made the Habemus Papam announcement in Latin from the balcony of St. Peter's Basilica. He said that the new pope had chosen the name Pius and did not mention the ordinal "the twelfth". The crowd below in St. Peter's Square began to sing the hymn Christus Vincit.


1939 papal conclave, Change in conclave procedure
Pius had been narrowly elected before seeking an additional ballot to demonstrate wider support, and he knew that a very close ballot in the 1914 conclave had raised the question of the impact of a cardinal's vote for himself. Pius promulgated the apostolic constitution Vacantis Apostolicae Sedis on 8 December 1945, more than six years after his election. He made only two significant changes in conclave procedures, otherwise following those established by Pope Pius X on 25 December 1904 with the constitution Vacante Sede Apostolica. (1)


1939 papal conclave, Change in conclave procedure
He increased the majority required for election from two-thirds of those voting to two-thirds plus one, so that an elector's vote for himself would be insufficient to produce a two-thirds majority. He also eliminated the rule against voting for oneself, which the two-thirds-plus-one rule obviated. It holds, though, that if one had an exact two-thirds majority, not counting one's own vote, a cardinal could cast the deciding vote for himself. (2) From 1621 to 1945, the ballots were signed with folded over flaps to conceal the signatures of the electors.


1939 papal conclave, Change in conclave procedure
Pius XII removed the signature portion of the new form of ballot, so that a completely secret ballot is now cast by each elector with the oath taken at the same moment, now being anonymous. All this is clearly stated in the Apostolic Constitution "Vancantis Apostolicae Sedis" promulgated by Pius XII on December 8, 1945.


1939 royal tour of Canada
The 1939 royal tour of Canada by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth was undertaken in the build-up to World War II as a way to emphasise the links between Britain and the independent Dominion of Canada. The royal tour lasted from 17 May to 15 June, covering every Canadian province, the Dominion of Newfoundland, and a few days in the United States. There had been previous royal tours in Canada, but this was unprecedented in its scope. The tour was an enormous event, attracting huge crowds at each new city.


1939 royal tour of Canada
The king and queen arrived by ship in Quebec City and travelled west by rail, accompanied throughout their journey by Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King. The party visited most of the major cities, finally arriving in Vancouver. Then they travelled through the United States. The tour ended with a visit to the Maritimes and Newfoundland, departing from Halifax.


1939 royal tour of Canada
It was the first visit by a reigning monarch of Canada and also the first time a Canadian monarch had set foot in the United States. This tour marked the first time that the sovereign's official Canadian birthday was marked with the monarch himself present in the country; the occasion was marked on Parliament Hill with a celebration and a Trooping of the Colour.


1939 royal tour of Canada
In 1985, during another tour of Canada, Queen Elizabeth, by then the Queen Mother, stated in a speech: "It is now some 46 years since I first came to this country with the King, in those anxious days shortly before the outbreak of the Second World War. I shall always look back upon that visit with feelings of affection and happiness. I think I lost my heart to Canada and Canadians, and my feelings have not changed with the passage of time."


1939 royal tour of Canada, Background and planning
Governor General Lord Tweedsmuir, in an effort to foster Canadian identity, conceived of a royal tour by the country's monarchs; the Dominion Archivist (i.e., official historian) Gustave Lanctot wrote that this "probably grew out of the knowledge that at his coming Coronation, George VI was to assume the additional title of King of Canada." Tweedsmuir's desire was to demonstrate with living example the fact of Canada's status as an independent kingdom, having Canadians "see their King performing royal functions, supported by his Canadian ministers."


1939 royal tour of Canada, Background and planning
Prime Minister Mackenzie King, while in London for the coronation in May 1937, formally consulted with the King on the matter. According to biographer Janet Adam Smith, the task for Tweedsmuir, and the Canadian government, was "how to translate the Statute of Westminster into the actualities of a tour... since this was the first visit of a reigning monarch to a Dominion, and precedents were being made." The tour was also designed to bolster trans-Atlantic support for Britain in the event of war, and to affirm Canada's status as an independent kingdom, sharing with Britain the same person as monarch.


1939 royal tour of Canada, Background and planning
Elizabeth's mother had died in 1938, and so Norman Hartnell designed an all-white wardrobe for her delayed state visit to France that year. In Canada in 1939 she wore elements of this white mourning, which forms a distinctive feature of the black and white photographs of the tour.


1939 royal tour of Canada, First portion of the tour (17 May–7 June)
The first portion of the royal tour occurred from 17 May 1939, when the royal couple arrived in Quebec City, to 7 June 1939, when George VI and Mackenzie King departed Canada to conduct a state visit to the United States. The first portion of the Canadian royal tour, saw the royal couple visit every province in Canada, excluding the provinces in Atlantic Canada, which was toured following George VI and Mackenzie King's return from the United States on 12 June.


1939 royal tour of Canada, First portion of the tour (17 May–7 June), Arrival in Quebec
The arrangements were made, and on 17 May 1939, the royal couple arrived in Quebec City for their tour of Canada on board the Canadian Pacific liner RMS Empress of Australia; the reception at Quebec City, Trois-Rivières, and Montreal were positive beyond expectations, and the King impressed Quebeckers when he responded to the welcoming remarks in French.


1939 royal tour of Canada, First portion of the tour (17 May–7 June), Arrival in Quebec
The king and queen took up residence at La Citadelle, where the King performed his first official tasks, amongst which was the acceptance of the credentials of Daniel Calhoun Roper as the American envoy to Canada. The King also held the audience with Quebeckers in the Legislative Council chamber of the Legislative Assembly Building. Two Boer War veterans of Scottish heritage, in order to settle an argument, asked the Queen when presented to her: "Are you Scots, or are you English?" Elizabeth's response was reported as being: "Since I have landed in Quebec, I think we can say that I am Canadian."


1939 royal tour of Canada, First portion of the tour (17 May–7 June), Ontario
The royal party traveled to Ottawa on 20 May, where the Queen laid the cornerstone of the Supreme Court building, the King dedicated the National War Memorial in front of 10,000 war veterans (amongst whom the Queen requested she be able to walk,), and the couple went to Parliament. There, the King personally granted Royal Assent to nine bills in the traditional manner which was still being used in Canada at the time - in the United Kingdom, Royal Assent has not been granted by the Sovereign in person since 1854.


1939 royal tour of Canada, First portion of the tour (17 May–7 June), Ontario
On Parliament Hill, the King's official Canadian birthday (known today as Victoria Day) was marked for the first time with a traditional Trooping of the Colour. Because he attended this parade instead of the annual trooping on Horse Guards Parade, the one in London was presided by Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester. Queen Elizabeth and Governor General Lord Tweedsmuir watched the parade from East Block. The King was accompanied at the reviewing box Prime Minister Mackenzie King, Minister of National Defence Ian Alistair Mackenzie and the Chief of the General Staff, Lieutenant General Ernest Charles Ashton. The trooping saw members of the Governor General's Foot Guards from Ottawa and the Canadian Grenadier Guards from Montreal, both of which make up the Brigade of Canadian Guards, parade before the King.


1939 royal tour of Canada, First portion of the tour (17 May–7 June), Ontario
After two days in Ottawa, the royal couple began travelling westward. The couple travelled to Toronto on 22 May, where they attended the King's Plate horse race and dedicated Coronation Park. The couple dedicated the soon-to-be completed Rainbow Bridge at Niagara Falls, and unveiled a monument at the site to mark the occasion.


1939 royal tour of Canada, First portion of the tour (17 May–7 June), Ontario
They also inaugurated the Queen Elizabeth Way (which was named for George's royal consort) as well as various monuments along the route, including a set of decorative stone pillars on the eastern approach to the Henley Bridge in St. Catharines, each consisting of a regal lion bearing a unique shield, and the Queen Elizabeth Way Monument, which had inscribed on its base words prophetically referring to the hostilities that would break out later that year:


1939 royal tour of Canada, First portion of the tour (17 May–7 June), Westward leg
The Royal Train was operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway on the western leg of the tour and the couple continued to be greeted by throngs of Canadians, even in the immigrant-rich but Depression-battered Prairies.


1939 royal tour of Canada, First portion of the tour (17 May–7 June), Westward leg
The couple visited Winnipeg and Brandon on 24 May. Upon their arrival in Winnipeg, on the King's official birthday, the royal couple was greeted by an estimated 100,000 people (including several thousand Americans), and, to allow them all a view of himself and the Queen, the King requested that the convertible roof of their limousine be opened, despite a record rainfall that day. While staying at Government House in Winnipeg, the King made his longest-ever radio broadcast to the British Empire; the table at which he sat remains in the Aides Room of the royal residence. Then, Prime Minister Mackenzie King described the arrival of the royal train at Brandon: "Wonderful cheering. A long bridge overhead crowded with people. The hour: 11 at night... the finest scene on the entire trip." The Queen herself said the reception was "the biggest thrill of the tour."


1939 royal tour of Canada, First portion of the tour (17 May–7 June), Westward leg
Continuing westward across the Prairies, the Royal Train arrived in Regina on 25 May, followed by Calgary on 26 May and Banff on 27 May. A minor gaffe occurred at Calgary, as described by one of the military officers on parade with the Guard of Honour:


1939 royal tour of Canada, First portion of the tour (17 May–7 June), Westward leg, British Columbia
The King and the Queen stopped in Vancouver, Victoria, and a number of other smaller communities in British Columbia. Mackenzie King was enthused, stating in his diary on 29 May 1939, "the day in Vancouver was one of the finest on the entire tour," and, the following day: "Without question, Victoria has left the most pleasing of all impressions. It was a crowning gem..."


1939 royal tour of Canada, First portion of the tour (17 May–7 June), Return to the east
When the royal couple arrived in Edmonton, the regular population of 90,000 swelled to more than 200,000, as Albertans from surrounding towns came in to catch sight of the King and Queen, 70,000 people sat in specially constructed grandstands lining Kingsway, which had been renamed to honour the King, to see the royal motorcade.


1939 royal tour of Canada, First portion of the tour (17 May–7 June), Return to the east
The royal train arrived in the town of Melville at 10:00 pm on 3 June, attracting over 60,000 people to the town of 3,000. The stop was only meant to last ten minutes, after which the train would stay overnight for servicing. But, with the throngs of people who arrived, the royal party decided to extend the visit to a half-hour, after which the train pulled away, returning a few hours later, once the crowds had dispersed; Canadian Press reporter R. J. Carnegie said of the stop: "Never throughout the tour did I see such unbridled enthusiasm as then."


1939 royal tour of Canada, First portion of the tour (17 May–7 June), Return to the east
On 4 June, the King and Queen took a brief walk around Unity, and in Saskatoon, where the royal couple visited the University of Saskatchewan, some 150,000 people turned out to see the monarchs, and hundreds of teenage girls dressed in red, white, and blue assembled in the image of a Royal Union Flag and sang "God Save the King".


1939 royal tour of Canada, First portion of the tour (17 May–7 June), Return to the east
At one night time stop in the Rocky Mountains, the royal couple sang along with an impromptu a cappella rendition of "When the Moon Comes over the Mountain" that broke out amongst the gathered crowd when the moon emerged from behind the clouds.


1939 royal tour of Canada, State visit to the United States (7–12 June)
In the United States from 7–12 June, the King and Queen visited Washington, New York City, and Poughkeepsie, New York; they were accompanied by the Canadian prime minister, still Mackenzie King, as the sole minister in attendance to the King, rather than by any British minister, by way of reinforcing that George VI's visit to the United States was a state visit from Canada, despite the point that the King and Queen were presented by Secretary of State Cordell Hull to President Franklin D. Roosevelt as "Their Britannic Majesties."


1939 royal tour of Canada, State visit to the United States (7–12 June)
For Mackenzie King, this assertion of Canada's status as a kingdom independent of Britain was a key motive behind the organization of the tour; he wrote in his diary on 17 May 1939: "I... told [the Queen] that I felt somewhat embarrassed about taking in the entire trip with Their Majesties; that it looked like pushing myself to the fore, yet I felt that unless some evidence of Dominion precedence existed, one of the main purposes of the trip would be gone. The Queen then said: 'The King and I felt right along that you should come with us.'"


1939 royal tour of Canada, State visit to the United States (7–12 June)
Another factor, however, was public relations; the presence of the King and Queen, in both Canada and the United States, was calculated to shore up sympathy for Britain in anticipation of hostilities with Nazi Germany.


1939 royal tour of Canada, State visit to the United States (7–12 June)
The itinerary included visits to Mount Vernon on 9 June, the 1939 New York World's Fair on 10 June, and dinner at Roosevelt's estate at Hyde Park on 11 June, at which President Roosevelt served hot dogs, smoked turkey, and strawberry shortcake to the royal couple. The 2012 film Hyde Park on Hudson contains a lengthy fictionalised depiction of the royal couple's visit to the Roosevelt estate.


1939 royal tour of Canada, Resumption of the tour (12–15 June)
On 12 June the royal couple returned to Canada to continue their royal tour of the country, visiting the Maritime provinces. The King and the Queen stopped in Doaktown, New Brunswick, to take tea in a local teahouse, where, upon finishing, they proceeded to the kitchen and took the proprietors by surprise.


1939 royal tour of Canada, Resumption of the tour (12–15 June)
Accompanied by the Governor of Newfoundland, Sir Humphrey Walwyn, the King and Queen were driven to St. John's to attend various official events, causing the city's population of 50,000 to double as visitors came in to see the royal couple. For the departure of the monarch, the residents of St. John's built a large bonfire on Signal Hill.


1939 royal tour of Canada, Resumption of the tour (12–15 June)
After a visit to Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, the royal couple ended their tour at Halifax, Nova Scotia, on 15 June, where a farewell luncheon was held, and the King and Queen each delivered a speech of thanks. That evening, the royal couple boarded the RMS Empress of Britain to return to the United Kingdom; of their departure, Mackenzie King wrote in his diary: "The Empress of Britain ran past one end of the harbour where she was towed around, then came back the opposite way to pull out to sea. She was accompanied by British warships and our own destroyers. The Bluenose and other vessels also in the harbour as a sort of escort.... The King and Queen were at the very top of the ship and kept waving.... No farewell could have been finer...."


1939 royal tour of Canada, Legacy
Elizabeth told Canadian Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King, "that tour made us", and she returned to Canada frequently both on official tours and privately.


1939 royal tour of Canada, Legacy
For the visit the Canadian government issued its second commemorative silver dollar, this one showing the standard picture of the king on the obverse and the Canadian Parliament building on the reverse. With a mintage of 1,363,816--large for the time--it remains readily available. At the same time a set of three postage stamps were issued by Canada, two showing members of the Royal Family and one a war memorial. They also are available at low cost.


1939 Úrvalsdeild, Overview
It was contested by 4 teams, and Fram won the championship. KR's Birgir Guðjónsson and Þorsteinn Einarsson were the joint top scorers with 3 goals.


1939/1940 Daily Mail Gold Cup
The 1939/1940 Daily Mail Gold Cup was a professional snooker tournament sponsored by the Daily Mail. The cup was won by Alec Brown with Sydney Lee finishing in second place in the final table. It was the sixth and last Daily Mail Gold Cup tournament, although only the fourth as a snooker event. The Daily Mail Gold Cup ran from 1935 to 1940.


1939/1940 Daily Mail Gold Cup, Format
The 1939/1940 event was a round-robin snooker tournament and was played from 16 October 1939 to 10 February 1940. Most of the matches were played at Thurston's Hall in London. There were 7 competitors and a total of 21 matches. Each match lasted six days and was the best of 61 frames, a reduction from the 71 frames played in previous years. The 7 included three competitors new to the event: Fred Davis, Walter Donaldson and Sydney Lee. The handicap system was the same as the previous year, each match having a separate handicap.


1939/1940 Daily Mail Gold Cup, Format
Joe Davis gave Sidney Smith 20, Alec Brown 25, Walter Donaldson 25, Fred Davis 30, Tom Newman 40 and Sydney Lee 45. Sidney Smith played level with Alec Brown and gave Walter Donaldson 10, Fred Davis 15, Tom Newman 20 and Sydney Lee 30. Alec Brown played level with Walter Donaldson and gave Fred Davis 10, Tom Newman 10 and Sydney Lee 25. Walter Donaldson played level with Fred Davis 15 and gave Tom Newman 10 and Sydney Lee 20. Fred Davis gave Tom Newman 10 and Sydney Lee 25. Tom Newman gave Sydney Lee 15.


1939/1940 Daily Mail Gold Cup, Results
Joe Davis struggled with the harsh handicaps given against him and lost his first three matches. He then had a remarkable win against Sydney Lee . Conceding 45 points in every frame, Davis was 16–14 behind after three days play. He then won 16 of the 20 frames on the next two days to lead 30–20 and eventually won 35–26. Joe lost to brother Fred but won his last match against Sidney Smith. With a 20-point advantage, Smith led 29–26 but Davis won the first 5 frames of the final evening session to win the match and avoid the "wooden spoon".


1939/1940 Daily Mail Gold Cup, Results
The positions were determined firstly by the number of matches won (MW) and, in the event of a tie, the number of frames won (FW).


1939–1940 Winter Offensive
The 1939–1940 Winter Offensive (Chinese: 冬季攻勢) was one of the major engagements between the National Revolutionary Army and Imperial Japanese Army during the Second Sino-Japanese War, in which Chinese forces launched their first major counter-offensive on multiple fronts. Although this offensive failed to achieve its original objectives,  some studies have shown that it came as a heavy blow to the Japanese forces, as well as a massive shock to the Japanese military command, which did not expect the Chinese forces to be able to launch an offensive operation on such a large scale.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive
By April 1940 the Japanese army had successfully fought the operation to a halt. However, a Japanese counteroffensive in the northern theater failed to seize Ningxia and was defeated in Suiyuan by Chinese Muslim forces.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Strategic situation
The Chinese had repulsed two Japanese offensives in the summer at the Battle of Suixian-Zaoyang and in fall at the 1st Battle of Changsha. They believed that the Japanese forces were now too dissipated to take and hold new territory and would not be able to launch large offensives unless they received more reinforcements. However, by defending interior lines and with control of the lines of communication, they could still shift forces and launch local offensives to damage Chinese forces or mop up guerrillas in the rear areas. Additionally, during 1939 the Japanese were replacing many of their large four-regiment square Divisions with the smaller three regiment triangular Divisions and weak Independent Mixed Brigades. This weakening of forces encouraged the Chinese to plan a large offensive to exploit that fact.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Chinese plan
The Chinese objective in the offensive was to take the initiative by conducting multiple-front attacks to tie down the Japanese forces. They intended to use their position of exterior lines to advantage to prevent the Japanese from launching new local offensives or shifting their forces to concentrate for a large offensive. The main effort was to be by the 2nd, 3rd, 5th and 9th War Areas, which received all newly trained and reorganized units. Secondary efforts in support of the main efforts or as diversions were to be conducted by 1st, 4th, 8th, Shantung-Kiangsu and Hopei-Chahar War Areas with their existing units.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army
The 2nd War Area in north China was to cut off communications of the Japanese 1st Army along the Cheng-tai (Chengting-Taiyuan) and Tung-pu (Tatung-to-Pukou) Railways and mop up their forces in the triangular area formed by southern Shansi and the southern sector of the Tung-pu Railway. The other corps were to attack the enemy where they were and destroy communications in support of the main effort.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army
The Chinese 40th Corps and 27th Corps were to attack and pin down the Japanese 36th Division in the Zhangzi and Changzhi area of Shansi.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army
To the southwest along Tung-pu-to-Puchow Railway the 4th Army Group, 5th Army Group and 14th Army Group were to attack from the east, while the 34th Corps and 61st Corps attacked from the west to cut the Tung-pu Railway between Yi-cheng and Yuncheng at Jiangxian, Wenxi, Anyi with the aim of severing the railway at Quwo and Houma, thereby isolating the 37th Division and 41st Division at Linfeng. 1st War Area was to support 2nd War Area with an attack on the Kaifeng and Bo'ai area to tie down the Japanese 35th Division and the 4th Cavalry Brigade of the North China Front Army.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army
South of the Yellow River, the 3rd Army Group was to cut off the Lankao-Kaifeng sector of the Lung-hai Railway. The 81st Division main force was to attack Kaifeng while a few elements attacked Lankao, allowing the Anhwei-Honan border-area guerrillas (40,000 men) to cut the Lunghua railroad near Luowang, Neihuanggi, and east and west of Lankao plus the highways at Tongxu, Huaiyang and Luyi. To the southeast the 2nd Cavalry Corps was to move east of Boxian from Luyi and attack Shangqiu from the east. Another force was to intercept and stop enemy 21st Division relief forces moving west from Dangshan and Xuzhou.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army
Simultaneously, north of the Yellow River the 36th Army Group would attack Bo'ai and Xinxiang. The new 5th Corps would attack Japanese positions held by 1st Independent Mixed Brigade north and south of Anyang and destroy bridges along the roads at Chi, Chun, Tang-yin and Pao-lien Temple Station, tying up rail traffic. The 47th Corps would cut rail traffic at Po-shan, Chang-kou, and clear Tai-hsing Shan [Taihang Mountains] of Japanese troops. Finally, the 9th Corps was to attack 35th Division and 4th Cavalry Brigade troops at Bo'ai, Jixian, Mucheng and the area of Xiuwu and Bo'ai, south of the western Tao-tsing railroad.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army
Hopei-Chahar War Area was to support 2nd War Area using its main force of 69th Corps with its new 6th Division and guerrilla forces to cut the communications in the vicinity of Shijiazhuang, Baoding (held by the 110th Division) and Xingtai (held by the 8th Independent Mixed Brigade) and along the Peking-Hankow Railway. Other forces were to cut communications in the vicinity of Cangzhou and Dezhou held by the 27th Division along the Tientsin-Pukow Railway, thereby preventing forces of the North China Front Army or its 12th Army from interfering with operations in Shansi against 1st Army.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army
8th War Area was to assist 2nd War Area in the north in Suiyuan by attacks on the Japanese Cavalry Group [2] of the Mongolian Army at Baotou and Hohhot. The main force of 35th Corps was to attack Baotou. The 6th Cavalry Corps and the Advance Force was to cut the railroad between Hohhot and Salqin to prevent Japanese reinforcements from the 26th Division in the Datung area from relieving Baotou. The 81st Corps was to attack Dashetai while guerrilla forces attacked Guyang and other sites to tie down outlying garrisons.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army
Shantung Kiangsu War Area was to prevent movement between north and central China along the Tientsin-Pukow Railway by attacking and sabotaging it. In Shantung portions of the 51st Corps were to attack near Tai'an and portions of the 57th Corps near Tengxian, both held by the Japanese 32nd Division. In Kiangsu portions of the 89th Corps were to attack near Chuzhou, held by the 12th Independent Mixed Brigade.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army, Course of the offensive in North China
The preparations for the offensive were to be finished by November 26. The secondary attacks were to be launched at the end of November and the main attacks at the beginning of December.1


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army, Course of the offensive in North China, 2nd War Area
Prior to the beginning of the offensive on December 3, the Japanese had attacked 2nd War Area forces at Xiaxian and Wenxi on the Tungpu (Tatung-Puchow) Railroad. Nine days later the Japanese were defeated, losing—according to the Chinese—3000 troops including a battalion commander (Enoshima?). The mopping up of remaining Japanese minor strongpoints in the area lasted until December 20. when they were finally wiped out.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army, Course of the offensive in North China, 2nd War Area
On December 10, the 2nd War Area general offensive began. Japanese strongpoints at Henglingguan, a pass south of Jiangxian, Chen-feng-ta and Nianzhang were encircled and communications on the nearby highways were destroyed by the advancing Chinese. The 4th Army Group and 5th Army Group joined forces in attacking Japanese positions at Xiaxian and other places in the area. By late December Beishe. southeast of Wenxi, was cleared of Japanese troops.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army, Course of the offensive in North China, 2nd War Area
In response, the Japanese 37th Division counterattacked with 2000 men and artillery from Yuncheng and Xiaxian. By early January 1940 elements of the Chinese 98th Corps and 7th Division repeatedly counterattacked, killing several hundred Japanese, resulting in a stalemate. Meanwhile, another Chinese force attacked the Tungpu Railroad between Wenxi and Anyi, destroying communications.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army, Course of the offensive in North China, 2nd War Area
To the northeast of the 4th and 5th Army Groups, 14th Army Group attacked Yicheng and Jiangxian. On December 15 the Japanese counterattacked with 5,000 troops supported by artillery and aircraft, resulting in bitter fighting and heavy casualties on both sides. On December 18 Longhua was taken by the Chinese, who pursued the retreating Japanese toward Yicheng.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army, Course of the offensive in North China, 2nd War Area
Meanwhile, in eastern Shanxi the 40th Corps and 27th Corps began their attack on the Japanese 36th Division in the Zhangzi and Changzhi area on December 13. The 27th Corps captured strongpoints on the outskirts of Changzhi and Tunliu, encircling the Japanese. On January 1, 1940, the Japanese organized a counterattack with 10,000 infantry, cavalry and artillery troops drawn from their surrounding defenses, and with air support attacked Chinese positions southwest of Changzhi. The Chinese 46th and 8th Reserve Divisions fought a see-saw battle with the Japanese from their positions at Hsien-wong Temple, Yanlu and Chin-yi villages, which led to heavy casualties on both sides.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army, Course of the offensive in North China, 2nd War Area
On the morning of January 3 the main force of the 40th Corps opened a day-long attack on the Japanese that caught them between the two Chinese forces, causing heavy losses and forcing them to withdraw to the outskirts of Changzhi. The 40th Corps continued its attack on Japanese strongpoints between Huguan and south of Changzhi.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army, Course of the offensive in North China, 2nd War Area
On January 20 and 24 Chinese forces cut the Han-Chang (Hantan-Chang-chih) Highway northeast of Changzhi, capturing Licheng and Dongyangguan, a pass east of Licheng and She-xian. On January 28 another force captured Lucheng, but bitter fighting continued with Japanese forces east of the town.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army, Course of the offensive in North China, 1st War Area
On December 1 the 3rd Army Group guerrillas cut the Lung-hai Railway near Luowang, Neihuanggi, and east and west of Lankao. They also cut the highways at Tung-hsu [ Tongxu], Huaiyang and Luyi. Meanwhile, the 81st Division's main force attacked Kaifeng while some of its elements attacked Lanfeng. Lowang Railway station was taken on December 15 and the Division entered Kaifeng the next day, clearing the Japanese troops and burning warehouses and a Japanese headquarters there.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army, Course of the offensive in North China, 1st War Area
Meanwhile, to the southeast 2nd Cavalry Corps moved east of Boxian, encircled and attacked Shangqiu from the east and overran an airfield and burned aviation fuel there. Another force intercepted and defeated relief forces moving west from Dangshan on the Lung-hai Railway.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army, Course of the offensive in North China, 1st War Area
North of the Yellow River the 36th Army Group attacked. Its new 5th Corps on December 6 attacked elements of the Japanese 1st Independent Mixed Brigade north and south of Anyang and succeeded in destroying bridges along the roads at Chi, Chun, Tang-yin and Pao-lien Temple Station. On December 13 the 47th Corps cleared Taihang Mountain and cut the Tao-tsin Railroad, taking the rail stations at Po-shan and Chang-kou.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army, Course of the offensive in North China, 1st War Area
The 9th Corps attacked elements of the Japanese 35th Division between Bo'ai and Jixian, cutting communications between them and attacking the defenders on the outskirts of Jixian and a strongpoint at Mucheng. Parts of the 47th Division and demolition teams broke into Jixian for half the day, attempting to clear it of enemy troops.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army, Course of the offensive in North China, 8th War Area
Though a minor theater of the campaign, the 8th War Area operations had some of the best results. In the preliminary attacks on December 18, 6th Cavalry Corps and the Advance Force cut the railroad between Hohhot and Salqin to prevent Japanese reinforcements from moving to relieve Baotou. At the same time 81st Corps attacked Dashetai, capturing it and destroying most of the garrison as it fled the next day.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army, Course of the offensive in North China, 8th War Area
On the 19th the 81st Corps' 101st Division captured Chien-tze-kou [Tailiang, Ming'an?] between Dashetai and Baotou and continued eastward until it encountered a Japanese force with 50 trucks and seven tanks near Mao-kuei-shen-yao-tze. Fighting lasted until dark, with the Japanese losing a tank and ten trucks. At Kung-yi-hsing [Erh-hsiang-kung-yao-tzu?, 10 km north of Baotou] guerrillas killed 44 Japanese moving south from Guyang to reinforce Baotou. Elements of the New 32nd and 101st Divisions wiped out a Japanese force that had fled to Peihuangtsaoyu.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army, Course of the offensive in North China, 8th War Area
The main force of 35th Corps attacked Baotou on December 19 and entered the city on the 20th, capturing the Japanese Cavalry Group[2] headquarters and warehouses in house-to-house fighting with the enemy. By noon of the 22nd the Japanese had been driven into the southwestern corner of the city.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army, Course of the offensive in North China, 8th War Area
Meanwhile, the Japanese had been making efforts to relieve the beleaguered Cavalry Group. From the Peiping area they sent a force of 2000 troops from their 2nd Independent Mixed Brigade in 200 trucks with more than ten guns and eight tanks and air support from four aircraft. Over half of this force was destroyed by the Chinese on the outskirts of Baotou on the 22nd. On the 24th additional Japanese reinforcement arrived, and these were apparently enough to force the Chinese to go on the defensive, having achieved their goal of tying down the enemy.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army, Course of the offensive in North China, 8th War Area
By January 28, 1940, the Japanese had built up forces from 26th Division[2] at Baotou sufficient to launch the 第１次後套作戦  or "First battle of Wuyuan in Inner Mongolia" to recover lost territory and move west to take Wu-yuan, which fell on February 3, and Linhe further west on the 4th. The 8th War Area command ordered a counterattack to recover Wuyuan. The Battle of Wuyuan resulted in the retreat of the Japanese to Baotou at the beginning of April.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army, Course of the offensive in North China, Hopei-Chahar and Shangtung-Kwangtung War Area
Deep in the Japanese rear areas in early December, Hopei-Chahar War Area is said to have successfully used its 69th Corps with its New 6th Division and guerrilla forces to cut communications between Baoding and Xingtai, and at Cangzhou and Dezhou. To the south in Shangtung-Kwangtung War Area, in late December 51st Corps did sabotage the railroad in the vicinities of Tai'an, Tengxian and Chuzhou, disrupting traffic between north south China.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army, Course of the offensive in North China, Hopei-Chahar and Shangtung-Kwangtung War Area
The Japanese response was the 魯東作戦 or Shandong Operation (2/7-2/21, 1940), in which 21st and 32nd Divisions and 5th Independent Mixed Brigade advanced through the Shangtung peninsula in a mop-up operation. Naval landing forces from the 3rd China Expeditionary Fleet landed at the end of the peninsula on February 18. The operation on the peninsula continued until February 21, reporting the destruction of about 20,000 Chinese troops.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army, Results of the north China offensive
Long-hsuen's "History of The Sino-Japanese War" then ends the narrative of the operation with the mention that supply difficulties greatly affected operations because of Communist raids in their rear area and instigation of revolts, which seized food and forbade it to be sold to the government forces. Despite this, the 40th Corps and 27th Corps accomplished their aim of pinning down the Japanese in the Chang-chih and Chang-tze area.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army, Results of the north China offensive
However, in southwestern Shanxi the main effort of 2nd War Area and of the whole North China offensive failed to seize the major towns on the railroad or Japanese strongpoints that were their objectives or to cut the Tungpu Railroad, except for the area between Wenxi and Anyi. At the end of the campaign the 2nd War Area claimed 13,770 Japanese killed or wounded. The 1st War Area reported 5,130 Japanese killed, and seems to have accomplished its mission of tying down Japanese troops in its area of operations. The 8th War Area, after a see-saw campaign, had succeeded in rolling the Japanese back to Baotou in the Battle of Wuyuan. Guerriila forces in the Hopei-Chahar and Shangtung-Kwangtung War Area carried out attacks but apparently without decisive results, and in the Shangtung peninsula they received a serious counterattack.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army, Results of the north China offensive
In 1937 the Chinese government picked up intelligence that the Japanese planned to install a puppet Hui Muslim regime around Suiyuan and Ningxia, and had sent agents to the region. The Middlesboro Daily News ran an article by Owen Lattimore which reported on Japan's planned offensive into the Muslim region in 1938, which predicted that the Japanese would suffer a crushing defeat at the hands of the Muslims.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army, Results of the north China offensive
The Japanese planned to invade Ningxia from Suiyuan in 1939 and create a Hui Muslim puppet state. The next year, however, the Japanese were defeated by the Kuomintang Muslim Gen. Ma Hongbin, causing the plan to collapse. His Hui Muslim troops launched further attacks against Japan in the Battle of West Suiyuan.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army, Results of the north China offensive
In Suiyuan 300 Mongol collaborators serving the Japanese were fought off by a single Muslim who held the rank of major at the Battle of Wulan Obo in April.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army, Results of the north China offensive
Muslim Generals Ma Hongkui and Ma Hongbin defended west Suiyuan, especially in Wuyuan, in 1940. Ma Hongbin commanded the 81st Corps, which suffered heavy casualties, but they eventually repulsed the Japanese and defeated them.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Offensive Plan against North China Front Army, Results of the north China offensive
Japan made heavy use of chemical weapons against China to make up for lack of numbers in combat and because China did not have any poison gas stockpiles of its own to retaliate. Japan also used poison gas against Chinese Muslim armies at the Battle of Wuyuan and Battle of West Suiyuan.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Central China offensive plan
In Central China the Japanese 11th Army was to be subject to the concentrated attack of the 5th and 9th War Areas, and supporting attacks by 6th and 3rd War Area, while 3rd War Area with support from Shantung Kiangsu War area isolated 11th Army from help from 13th Army downstream by its offensive on the Yangtze and at Hangchow.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Central China offensive plan
3rd War Area was to attack 116th Division positions along the south bank of the Yangtze River between Wuhu and Hukou with its main force, to cut communications and attack traffic along it with mines and artillery to prevent the Japanese 13th Army from giving aid to the 11th Army up river. Shantung Kiangsu War Area was to attack along the Tientsin-Pukou Railway on the north bank of the river in support. To do this, 23rd Army Group organized columns made from the 50th, 21st, 86th and 25th Corps with three divisions each and 18th Corps with two. The force was divided into a Right Flank Army, Central Army and Left Flank Army.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Central China offensive plan
9th War Area with the support of the 3rd and 6th War Areas would attack the 6th, 33rd, 34th and 40th Divisions and 14th and 18th Independent Mixed Brigade of the Japanese 11th Army south of the Yangtze along the Canton-Hangkow Railway at Puchi and Hsien-ning. It would also advance on Wu-chang, attack Nanchang  and along the Nanchang-Kuikiang Railway against Jui-chang and Kiu-kiang and attack and isolate the Japanese 6th Division at Yueh-yang.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Central China offensive plan
5th War Area was to mop up the 3rd, 13th and 39th Divisions and 14th Independent Mixed Brigade of the Japanese 11th Army north of the Yangtze between Xinyang and Wuhan along the Peiking-Hankow Railway and cut communications along the Han-yi [Hankow-Ichang] and Hsiang-Hua [ Xiangfan-Huayuan] Highways. The 5th War Area forces were divided into four armies to carry out the operation—River North Army, Right Flank Army, Left Flank Army and Southern Honan Army—and the Eastern Hupei guerrilla force with the 84th Corps (178th and 188th Division) under Gen. Mo Shu-chieh in reserve at Tsaoyang.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Central China offensive plan, Course of the offensive in central China, 3rd War Area
3rd War Area's offensive began on December 16. Two days later the 144th Division of the Right Flank Army had taken Cha-Cha-shan and Wang-chia-tan [Wanzi]. In the Central Army area 10th Reserve Division had taken Tsen-hsien-shan, Pai-fen-shang, Maotan and part of Cheng-chia-ta-shan, while the 16th Division took Pu-ling and Hsiang-shan and the 190th Division took Tuan-shan, Han-shan and Shih-tze-shan. The 147th Division of Left Flank Army took Hui-lu-ling  and Kang-yao-ling.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Central China offensive plan, Course of the offensive in central China, 3rd War Area
However, the Right Flank Army's 79th Division and 50th Corps failed to coordinate with Central Army, resulting in heavy losses to the 16th Division and the 10th Reserve Division of the Central Army. These divisions subsequently were relieved on December 20 by the 40th and 67th Divisions. On the 23rd the Japanese sent in reinforcements while their aircraft bombed the Chinese for days, so that despite heavy attacks the Chinese failed to make any further progress.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Central China offensive plan, Course of the offensive in central China, 3rd War Area
On the 28th the Chinese redeployed their forces; the Right Flank and Central Army were to hold their existing positions while Right Flank Army organized two special columns built around an infantry regiment with some artillery and three teams built around an infantry battalion with artillery, engineer and mine-laying detachments. These infiltrated to the river bank at Ti-kang, Wuhu and Ta-tung to attack enemy ships and lay mines. Central Army sent teams from Ching-yang did the same thing. Meanwhile, the Left Flank Army organized a defense to hold Pei-mien-shan and Hung-tsao-shan, while they massed their artillery to attack shipping and laid drifting mines on the Yangtze River.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Central China offensive plan, Course of the offensive in central China, 3rd War Area
Meanwhile, to the south, the 10th Army Group attack by 192nd Division and 62nd Division took Hangchow, Fuyang and Yu-hang on the night of December 13. Warehouses and puppet organization buildings were burned. The Japanese reacted by sending reinforcements while a regiment of the 22nd Division struck south of Hangchow on January 21, 1940, making a forced crossing of the Chein-tang River, landing at Chiu-chia-tou north of Xiaoshan and engaging the Chinese 2nd Resistance and Defense column at Chekiang. This force then split into two groups.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Central China offensive plan, Course of the offensive in central China, 3rd War Area
The minor force moved to Kanshan between Xiaoshan and Shaoxing while the main force took Xiaoshan at noon and advanced eastward to Shaoxing. On January 25 there was bitter fighting with 6th Resistance and Defense column at Keqiao, with 8th Resistance and Defense Column at Linpu and parts of 2nd and 5th Resistance and Defense column and the 3rd District Self-Defense Group at Bailutang. On the 27th the Japanese reached Linpu but were halted by Chinese forces at Kanshan, Ya-chien, west of Suo-chien and south of Yuey-ta-chiao and east of Wen-chia-yen. Under counterattack by the Chinese, they fell back to Xiaoshan.


1939–1940 Winter Offensive, Central China offensive plan, Course of the offensive in central China, 3rd War Area
Also, 3rd War Area's 32nd Army Group made diversionary attacks south of Nanchang on the Kan River and sent plainclothes detachments into Nanchang to harass the Japanese to aid the 9th War Area offensive.