February 18th, 1940 (SUNDAY)
UNITED KINGDOM:
London: The British government presses Norway to intern the Altmark.A German infantry detachment, with
heavy mortar support, makes an unsuccessful raid on a French outpost near the
Moselle River.
GERMANY: OKW issues Führer
Directive #10 for the Conduct of the War. This directive deals in detail with
the 'Case Yellow' plan for the German offensive in the west. It was revised
several times and much of the text has been lost.
Surviving fragments of the final version reveal the change in emphasis of the
German attack from the north to the centre through the Ardennes. The aim is to
cross the Meuse near Sedan and drive to the Somme estuary, destroying a large
part of the Anglo-French army and denying the Dutch and Belgian coasts to the
enemy. (Marc Roberts)
CHINA: Japanese forces engaged in the city of Nanning are compelled to withdraw after heavy fighting.
U.S.A.: The Secretary of State, Cordell-Hull, applied the American "moral embargo" to Russia.
ATLANTIC OCEAN: In operations against Norway/UK convoys the German battle cruisers Gneisenau,
Scharnhorst and the pocket battleship Admiral Hipper make an unsuccessful sortie
against convoy HN12 as part of Operation Nordmark. It is the escort of U-boats
though which make the attack and the D class destroyer HMS Daring is
torpedoed and sunk by U-23
40
miles east of Duncansby Head at 58 38N 01 40W. There are 15 survivors, who are
rescued by HM Submarine Thistle. Another 12 merchant ships are sunk by the
submarines. The commander of
U-23 was Leutnant zur See Otto
Kretschmer, who went on to become the German tonnage sinking king of WW2.
At 0926, SS Ameland had just passed the Maasbank-buoy and was hit by a torpedo from U-10. She began to sink and the 48 crewmembers (3 of them injured) abandoned the ship. The master A. Kokke returned to rescue the documents and the ship sank later by the stern. The survivors were picked up by the Dutch SS Montferland and were transferred to the tug Zwarte Zee. The wounded men were brought to Vlissingen and the crew was put ashore in Maassluis.
SS El Sonador sunk by U-61 east of the Shetlands.
At 0420, SS Banderas was torpedoed and sunk by U-53 eight miles NW of Cabo Villano.
At 0823, SS P.L.M. 15 in Convoy 10-RS was hit amidships by one torpedo from U-37 and sank immediately.
At 0045, SS Ellin was torpedoed by U-37 and sunk 25 miles NW of Cape Finisterre.