January 22nd, 1940 (MONDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM: London: From today newsreels have to be submitted to the Ministry of Information before they are exhibited. Newsreels have been exempt from scrutiny by the British Board of Film Censors because they are produced to tight deadlines twice weekly. Now this loophole is closed. The Ministry's film division has appointed a liaison officer to convey "do's and don'ts" of film propaganda. An "editor" from the Ministry will view all newsreels before release. The word "censor" is not used in the announcement.The Control of Photography Order already makes it an offence to film or photograph any object of war interest without a permit. But the ban on the representation of living persons in feature films has been lifted in regard to enemy aliens such as Nazi leaders.
Destroyer HMS Hesperus commissioned.
FINLAND: Helsinki: The Finns announce the formation of a foreign legion.
This refers to Group Sisu which was at this point forming in Lapua
(western Finland). It consisted of men of over 20 different nationalities,
foremost among them Hungarians and Britons. They didn't finish training
before the war ended. Calling it a 'foreign legion' is a bit misleading,
they volunteered not because of money (they received the same pay as the
average Finnish conscript, which was not much).
GIBRALTAR: The U.S. freighter SS Excellency is detained at Gibraltar by British authorities; the U.S. freighter SS Nishmaha, detained there the yesterday, is released.
CANADA: Flower-class corvettes
ordered in Canada - HMS Windflower, Hepatica, Snowberry, Spikenard, Arrowhead,
Fennel, Bittersweet, HMCS Pictou, Baddeck,
Buctouche, Shediac, Rimouski, Dunvegan, Camrose, and Sherbrooke.
U.S.A.: Joint amphibious exercise concludes in
the Monterey, California, area, having afforded the Fleet profitable
experience in joint planning. It also demonstrates interservice
cooperation.
ATLANTIC OCEAN:
U-51 sank SS Gothia 30 miles SW of St Kilda.
U-55 sank SS Segovia.
SS Sydvold sunk by U-61.