January 7th, 1940 (SUNDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: The British Broadcasting Corporation begins broadcasting the BBC Forces Programme.
NORTH SEA: Home Fleet submarines suffer heavy losses in the Heligoland area at the hands of minesweeper patrols.- At 0940 hours local, HMS/M Undine (N 48) sights what is thought to be three trawlers about 17 nautical miles (32 kilometres) southwest of Heligoland. These three ships are actually German auxiliary minesweepers M-1201, M-1204 and M-1207. The submarine unsuccessfully attacks the leading vessel but after approximately five minutes an explosion shakes the sub, blowing her upwards and rendering the hydroplanes useless. The abandon ship order is given, demolition charges are set and the sub sinks; all crewmen are rescued by the Germans.
- HMS/M Seahorse (96 S) sailed from England on 26 December 1939 and was never heard from again. Her operational area was to be initially off Helgoland then move to the mouth of the Elbe River on 30 December and return to base on 9 January. A report by the German 1st M-Flotille states that a submarine was sighted at 1318 hours today, the boat dives, is located and depth charges dropped at the location. Submarine noises are picked up on the hydroacoustic listening devices, the echolocator indicates a clear echo and more depth charges are dropped. Fog prevents any sort of visual contact with possible debris being established. The fact that the report mentions a visual contact and that no boat returning from patrol reports this attack leaves only HMS/M Seahorse as the target of the attack. The lack of evidence of a "kill" may just be attributed to the attack causing sufficient damage to prevent the boat from resurfacing but not wrecking the hull to the point of causing any part s thereof to surface.(Alex Gordon)(108)
U-32 laid 8 mines off the Firth of Clyde without result.
GIBRALTAR: The U.S. passenger liner SS Manhattan, detained at Gibraltar by British authorities the previous day, is released.
FINLAND: General Semyon Konstantinovich Timoshenko takes command of all the Soviet forces engaged in the war with Finland. His troops on the Karelian Isthmus are now organized in two armies, the Seventh and Thirteenth. The Finns are in the process of a reorganization also. In the fighting north of Lake Ladoga the Finnish pressure on the Soviet 18th and 168th Divisions continues. Finnish claims estimate 50,000 Soviet troops have perished in the last five weeks. Soon after the Winter War, Vyacheslav M. Molotov, Foreign Minister of the Soviet Union, in a speech admitted the Soviet combat losses were slightly less than 50,000. Many historians still take Molotov's numbers at the face value. Latest research indicates that the Soviet Union lost in the Winter War some 130,000 dead.
U.S.A.: “Gene Autry's Melody Ranch,” a musical variety show starring Republic movie star Gene Autry, premieres on CBS radio between 1830 and 1900 hours Eastern Standard Time sponsored by Wrigley’s Gum. In July 1942, Autry, at age 35, enlisted in the USAAF during an on-air show.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: The German freighter SS Konsul Horn escapes from Aruba, Netherlands West Indies, and, disguised as a Soviet merchantman, manages to deceive USN patrol planes from the Neutrality Patrol and British light cruiser HMS Enterprise. The ship reaches Norwegian waters in February.