Results 1 to 2 of 2

Thread: September 1940 News Reports

  
  1. #1
    Jim's Avatar
    Jim is offline Admin
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Posts
    3,021
    Downloads
    55
    Uploads
    80

    September 1940 News Reports

    Business Men versus V-Boats

    AN auxiliary squadron of the R.A.F. Coastal Command, whose job is to escort shipping convoys, is achieving great success in spotting submarines that lie in wait. It has attacked nine within the last two months, two of which were almost certainly destroyed and three others damaged. These results are all the more remarkable in that the squadron consists almost entirely of professional and business men, tradesmen, factory hands and clerks from a Scottish city near the air station. Among the flight commanders are chartered accountants and a PT instructor, while the commanding officer was head of a firm of building contractors.

    American Refugee Ship in Port

    After a rough voyage the U.S. refugee ship "American Legion," which left Petsamo, in Finland on August 16, arrived safely in New York harbour on August 28. Among her 900 passengers she carried the Crown Princess of Norway and her three children, and a number of American diplomatists, including' Mrs. Borden Harriman, U.S. Minister to Norway. Germany had done her best to make propaganda out of this rescue mission, denouncing the voyage as "wanton" and as "criminal folly," and predicting certain destruction of the ship. While in the danger zone life belts were worn the whole time except during eating and sleeping, the number of look-outs was doubled, and constant lifeboat drills were held. On the last 500 miles two American destroyers provided an escort in honour of Princess Martha, and to indicate that the exiled Royal family are still recognized as the rulers of Norway.

    Vichy 'Axes' the Diplomats

    M Baudouin, Foreign Secretary in the Vichy Government, has imposed “compulsory retirement" on 83 officials of the French diplomatic service, including 15 Minders. 3 Counsellors of Embassy, and 19 consuls-general. It is evident that Germany's intention has, been to remove diplomatists who hold a pro-British and democratic outlook, for the Marquis de Castel-lane, former charge d’Affaires in London, has already been appointed to fill one of the vacancies, as "the French Government wishes to recognise the tact which he showed in a particularly delicate situation."

    British Workers Defy Hitler

    IT has been found that after a raid work in British factories has either consciously or unconsciously speeded up. In one Midland factory the output was only a fraction below normal during the week when it suffered from a bombing raid, while the following week the output increased by 33 per cent. Moreover, workers everywhere are anxious to have the shelter regulations so modified that they need not abandon their tasks unless bombing attacks appear imminent.

    Red Cross' Cover' Again Invoked

    The remarkable mixture of cunning and naiveté in the Nazi character has once more been in evidence. Through the Swiss Government Britain has received from Germany a proposal that 64 Nazi vessels, to be distinguished by Red Cross markings, should be allowed to range unmolested in the Channel and North Sea-ostensibly to rescue German airmen who had been shot down; actually, it may well be surmised, to reconnoitre our defence arrangements. The British Government has naturally rejected the proposal, at the same time reminding Germany of many deliberate attacks upon British hospital ships and carriers, including the actual sinking of the hospital ships "Maid of Kent," "Brighton" and "Paris." It is noteworthy that the day this announcement was made (August 31) the Air Ministry reported that an R.A.F. pilot who had baled out at 15,000 feet was dead when he reached the ground, his body riddled with bullets from three Messerschmitts which had savagely attacked him during his descent.

    September 13th 1940

  2. #2
    Dave's Avatar
    Dave is offline Admin
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Posts
    478
    Downloads
    0
    Uploads
    0
    These results are all the more remarkable in that the squadron consists almost entirely of professional and business men, tradesmen, factory hands and clerks from a Scottish city near the air station. Among the flight commanders are chartered accountants and a PT instructor, while the commanding officer was head of a firm of building contractors.
    In one Midland factory the output was only a fraction below normal during the week when it suffered from a bombing raid, while the following week the output increased by 33 per cent. Moreover, workers everywhere are anxious to have the shelter regulations so modified that they need not abandon their tasks unless bombing attacks appear imminent.
    Apologies for quoting massive chunks here. But the phrase "War Effort" leaps out after reading this. I suppose this phrase is almost cliche now, but these passages really show the true depth of feeling in Britain.

    NIce post. Can I ask the source again Jim ? BTW I got gazzumped ( ) on a lot of 60 copies of the War Illustrated on eBay a few weeks ago, but the whole lot went for little more than £20 in the end...

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •  

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197