Eighty year ago a shooting in Paris sets the scene for horrors in Germany

Nazi Germany expelled with extreme brutality the 20,000 Polish Jews that it could find in the country. The son of one of these called Grynspan shot the German Ambassador to France von Rath, injuring him severely. Those Jews still in Germany knew that revenge would be exacted, and probably terrible revenge. The German press was dominated by news of the attack and one newspaper Der Angriff  blamed Winston Churchill.

The Battle of the Ebro was approaching its climax after months of attrition fighting. The Republican forces were now squeezed into their positions on the right bank of the river by steady Nationalist counter-attacks. In a last-ditch attempt to rescue the position the Republicans launched a probe across the Lerida river but the Nationalists did not rise to the bait.

The tide of US politics appeared as though it might be turning. The mid-term elections showed a clear shift towards the Republicans after eight years in which the Democrats had seemed to carry all before them. The balance of power still lay with the Democrats but the trend was worrying. The split of seats in the House of Representatives 252 (down from 330) against Republicans 165 (up from 90). One-third of the Senate was elected, and the actual return was 21 Democrats and 11 Republicans. The voting for State Governors, which took place in 32 out of the 48 States, resulted in the return of 17 Republicans and 15 Democrats. There were now 30 Democrat and 18 Republican Governors.