Monday, November 20, 1939 - Dutch down german plane.

[Louis]

In Holland... A German airplane is shot down by Dutch aircraft.

From Berlin... Hitler issues a second directive for the attack on the west.

In Occupied Czechoslovakia... SS troops are reportedly in control of Prague.

In Britain... Luftwaffe planes start parachuting mines into the Thames estuary. Meanwhile, the minesweeper HMS Mastiff is blown up while attempting to recover a German magnetic mine in a fishing net.

 

[Louis]

Luftwaffe planes start parachuting mines into the Thames estuary. Meanwhile, the minesweeper HMS Mastiff is blown up while attempting to recover a German magnetic mine in a fishing net.

While attempting to collect a magnetic mine which was drifting near the Thames estuary on November 20, 1939, the armed trawler HMS Mastiff T-10 was destroyed when the mine unexpectedly exploded. The mine laid the night before by the German destroyers Z-21 Wilhelm Heidkamp, Z-19 Hermann Künne and Z-11 Bernd von Arnim, apparently broke free of it's mooring and was floating around aimlessly when the Mastiff happened along to pick it up.

Six crewmen were killed, the survivors were picked up by Margate lifeboat and trawler HMS Cape Spartel.
Victims: Clarke, William - Seaman / Duncan, Alexander - Stoker Petty Officer / Elson, Charley - Leading Stoker / Horne, George W. -Seaman / Main, William D. -Leading Seaman / White, Herbert A. -Leading Seaman (Died of wounds Nov. 21).-

 

[Bootie]

The Z-21 Wilhelm Heidkamp got sunk of Narvik... here a dive team goes down and has a look.