25 Aug 1939
- U-56 began her first patrol in the North Sea. ww2dbase [U-56 | CPC]
- Soviet forces linked up at Nomonhan, Mongolia Area, China, enveloping Japanese 23rd Infantry Division. ww2dbase [Battle of Khalkhin Gol | Nomonhan, Mongolia | CPC]
- In the morning, Adolf Hitler sent a message to Benito Mussolini, noting that the reason why Italy was not informed of the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact was because Hitler had not imagined the negotiations would conclude so quickly. He also revealed to him that war was to commence soon, but failed to let him know that the planned invasion date was on the following day. Later on the same day, however, Hitler hesitated in the face of the Anglo-Polish mutual defense agreement; he would quickly decide to postpone the invasion date. Meanwhile, in Berlin, Germany, journalist William Shirer noted in his diary that war seems to be imminent. ww2dbase [Invasion of Poland | AC]
- Joachim von Ribbentrop arrived in Berlin, Germany. ww2dbase [Joachim von Ribbentrop | Berlin | CPC]
- Kliment Voroshilov rejected the request from the British and French delegation, noting that since Germany and the Soviet Union had just signed a non-aggression pact, a military treaty with the western powers was no longer possible. In light of this new development, a renewed mutual defense agreement was signed between the United Kingdom and Poland. ww2dbase [Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact | Moscow | TH]
- Franklin Roosevelt wrote to Adolf Hitler in an attempt to maintain peace. ww2dbase [No. 124 & 127: Messages sent by the President of the United States of America to Herr Hitler | CPC]
- USS S-25 arrived at New London, Connecticut, United States. ww2dbase [S-25/Jastrzab | New London, Connecticut | CPC]
25 Aug 1939 Interactive Map
Timeline Section Founder: Thomas Houlihan
Contributors: Alan Chanter, C. Peter Chen, Thomas Houlihan, Hugh Martyr, David Stubblebine
Special Thanks: Rory Curtis
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