21 Dec 1939
Page 1
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This newspaper page contains 11 articles. Subscribers can read the full text of each article.
Newspaper
San Antonio Light
Location
San Antonio, Texas, United States of America
Date
Dec 21, 1939
Page
1
French authorities said renewed skirmishes occurred in the Saar river sector on the western front. An air raid over western France last night involved British and German aircraft. official totals show France’s shipping seizures reaching 382,060 tons and British seizures 500,880 tons since the war began.
Moscow marked Joseph Stalin's sixtieth birthday with massive tributes. Kalinin authored a flattering biography praising him as a pillar of hope for workers and a savior of global socialism. Officials announced institutes, prizes, and honors in his honor as the Soviet leadership lauded his health and temperate lifestyle.
Adolf Hitler sent a birthday telegram to Joseph Stalin on his sixtieth birthday expressing best wishes for his personal wellbeing and the future of allied peoples. Dr John Henry Mullin, a Wilmington gynecologist and World War I veteran who served with General Pershing, died at 50.
Vatican City announces Pope Pius XII will visit King Victor Emmanuel III and Queen Elena on December 28 marking a rare papal gesture toward the Italian monarchy. The planned trip signals closer Vatican Italy ties since the Lateran Accord and ends a long era of papal protest against Rome’s secular authority.
A fragmented weather and lunar report lists multiple cities and states with assorted conditions. It cites temperatures, humidity, and humidity percentages, moon phase as full moon, and various times. The text includes numerous truncations and odd spellings, reflecting OCR noise across many locales.
Great Britain assembled ships and planes today to protect her unarmed North sea fishing fleet after German aerial attacks left 38 vessels bombed torpedoed or machine gunned in three days. The admiralty discussed arming fishermen and a retroactive hardship bonus was announced. Also noted were Dutch and Swedish ship losses, the Graf Spee’s dubbed tragedy, and a funeral for Mrs. W J Jung in Fredericksburg.
War news reports Russia's Finnish invasion continues with heavy air and ground actions. Finnish defenses hold while casualties mount and claims of Soviet success clash with official Finnish statements. In Europe, Tyrol residents face choices under German citizenship pressure, and Argentina debates the Graf Spee crisis as survivors seek status in the United States.
Compiled by the Russians reports a German advance in Poland and a fall back inland from the Belgian coast. Berlin cites French trench fighting at La Bassée with guns captured and a prison camp reportedly taken.
Danish workers organizations decided to levy one hour’s wage from each member to create a fund to provide financial assistance to Finland. The move was announced in Copenhagen on December 21 amid ongoing relief efforts for the Finnish situation.
Reports say Soviet troops moved north toward the Arctic while a blizzard slowed advances in Finland’s corridor toward the Arctic Ocean. Observers noted Russians marching east of Nautal near the Norwegian border, with some Finnish detachments reportedly withdrawn due to zero Fahrenheit cold and lubricants freezing, per Helsinki communiqué.
London reports a special Christmas leave granted to the crew of the Ursula, the Koeln class cruiser sunk by a British torpedo near the Elbe. The crew of 27 departed amid cheers from sailors and dock workers, while German officials in Berlin acknowledge the loss.
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