WW2 – Page 3 – Cottage Capers

On this day in history….5th June 1944

On this day in history : 5th June 1944 – Ahead of the following day’s D-Day landings a small café in Bénouville is the first place to be liberated after British troops seize a vital canal bridge….

Every June 5th since, shortly before midnight – to celebrate the D-Day anniversary – Mme Arlette Gondrée has offered Champagne to everyone present in her café….many of whom have been veterans of the Normandy invasion….

Cafe Gondree in 2009 : Runvald – Public domain

The walls of the quaint interior are covered with photographs, old uniforms, helmets and regimental insignia…. Now known as the Pegasus Bridge Café, the two-storey, red brick building was once called ‘The Café Gondrée’….

Georges and Thérèse Gondrée had met in Cannes…. Georges had been a banker, working at Lloyds and so his knowledge of the English language was excellent…. Thérèse being from Alsace was fluent in German…. They married and settled down to run a coffee shop in the Commune of Bénouville in the Normandy region of northwestern France…. Their little café being situated on the West Bank of the Caen canal – at the north end of the Bénouville Bridge (now called Pegasus Bridge)….

However, in 1940 France was invaded by Germany; Georges and Thérèse found life under German occupation intolerable…. They began to support the French Resistance in Caen and passed vital information via the French Underground Movement to British intelligence…. Thérèse did not let the Germans know she could speak their language – she and Georges were able to gather details on the German garrison and the defences of Bénouville Bridge….

On the eve of D-Day three gliders were released from 8,000 up into the pitch-black, stormy night…. Sixty paratroopers, a Glider Unit of the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Light Infantry Regiment, British 6th Airborne Division under the command of Major John Howard, had orders to take and hold the bridge…. Howard had been able to put together a detailed plan with the information received from the Gondrées….

Horsa gliders, which had landed a hundred yards from the bridge. The cafe can be seen in the background – Royal Air Force Official Photographer – Public domain

All three gliders managed to land in a nearby field, the rough terrain causing considerable damage to the aircraft…. What followed then was a short but fierce battle in which the British troops managed to take control of the bridge…. It was not without loss of life, several died….the very first casualty of the D-Day operation is buried in the cemetery at nearby Ronville…. The taking of the bridge was a key part of the preparations for D-Day – as it made it extremely difficult for the Germans to launch a counter-attack during the days of the Normandy invasion….

The Benouville Bridge, 9 June 1944 – Christie (Sgt) No.5 Army Film & Photographic Unit – Public domain

The Gundrées had been woken in the early hours by the noise of the gliders landing and then the following gunfire…. Georges had looked out of the window to see what was happening and was shot at by a British soldier….he had been mistaken for a German…. Georges and Thérèse quickly bundled their three young daughters into the safety of the cellar and spent the next few hours trying to work out the nationality of the soldiers – as they knew they were not German….

At 6.20am there came a loud knocking on the door….and all was revealed – as there stood three British paratroopers…. Café Gondrée was officially the first French building to be liberated…. Georges responded by digging up 99 bottles of Champagne he had buried in the garden and for the rest of the day gave celebratory drinks to the passing soldiers….

Pegasus Cafe as approached from the bridge. Image credit: SIMCard25 at English Wikipedia CC BY-SA-3.0

In later years the café was taken over by Georges and Thérèse’s daughter, Arlette, who had been 5 at the time of the liberation…. It is because of Arlette that the café continues to honour the anniversary of D-Day, with Champagne of course….but I do believe the café serves a very decent cup of tea as well…. Of course, only the British would ensure that the first place to be liberated would be somewhere they could guarantee a great cuppa! The café became an Historic Monument on the 5th of June 1987….

The following video clip shows Mme Arlette Gondrée at the 6th of June 2011 Ceremony

British History, Uncategorized

On this day in history….2nd May 1942

On this day in history : 2nd May 1942 – HMS Edinburgh is sunk in the Barents Sea off the Norwegian coast….with a cargo of gold bars, which lay un-salvaged until 1981….

HMS Edinburgh, October 1941 – Royal Navy official photographer Coote, RGG (Lt) – Public domain

Under the command of Rear-Admiral Stuart Bonham-Carter HMS Edinburgh was acting as flag-ship escorting a convoy of 17 ships departing from Murmansk, Norway on the 28th of April 1942 bound for Britain…. On the 30th of April a torpedo hit the Town-class Light Cruiser and she began to list…. Quick acting crew managed to close the watertight bulkheads at the front to prevent her from sinking….

Rear-Admiral Stuart Bonham-Carter – from the collections of the Imperial War Museums

Shortly after another torpedo was to hit Edinburgh’s stern, crippling her…. It was decided to try and attempt to tow her back to Murmansk; two destroyers – Foresight and Forester – along with four minesweepers – Niger, Hussar, Gossamer and Harrier – were despatched to accompany her….

HMS Edinburgh’s wrecked stern – image assumed Royal Navy – Public domain

Progress was slow but on the 2nd of May the small convoy and stricken Edinburgh reached Bear Island, the most southernmost Norwegian Svalbard Archipelago island – but then she was attacked by three large German destroyers….

Edinburgh cast off her tow and started to sail in circles, at the same time firing her guns…. One of the German destroyers was so badly damaged its crew scuttled it….

Edinburgh took another torpedo hit and her crew were forced to abandon…. Gossamer and Harrier took the crew onboard; 58 men had lost their lives….

Harrier then attempted to scuttle Edinburgh using gunfire….although 20 shells were fired she remained afloat…. Even after depth charges were used she refused to sink…. Eventually Forester used her last torpedo to sink HMS Edinburgh….

Barents Sea Map – assumed author NormanEinstein CC SA 3.0

4.5 long tons of gold bullion went down with Edinburgh….465 gold ingots in 93 wooden boxes, which were stored in the bomb room at the front of the ship…. She was carrying the gold back to the UK; it was part of a payment from Russia for war equipment received from the Western Allies…. In 1942 the bullion was worth £1.5 million, equating to nearly £70m today….

In 1954 the British government offered the salvage rights to a British salvage company….but because by then the relationship had become strained with Russia plans were put on hold…. In 1957 the wreck became a designated war grave making any further thoughts of retrieving the gold improbable….

However, in the late 1970s the government became increasingly worried that Russian salvagers were going to attempt to recover it…. In the early 80s a contract was awarded to a leading global diving company…. Experienced divers from Jessop Marine, under the guidance of Wharton Williams Ltd were to attempt to cut into the wreck – far more sensitive and appropriate for the situation as opposed to the normal explosive methods usually employed….

In April 1981 survey ship Dammtor began to search for Edinburgh in the Barents Sea – in less than 48 hours it had found her….in 800ft of water…. Using detailed film footage the team were able to evaluate the recovery project…. Edinburgh’s sister ship HMS Belfast, moored in the Thames, was also invaluable to the planning of the operation…. The divers were able to gather vital information and knowledge as to the layout and interior of the ship especially around the bomb room area….

The diving operation began on the 30th of August 1981, under the leadership of Mike Stewart, a former Royal Navy clearance diving officer. On the 15th of September diver John Rossier found the first gold bar….by the 7th of October 431 of the 465 gold ingots had been recovered….but then bad weather forced the operation to stop…. However, it was a bullion recovery project in deep water diving that set a world record – a record that still stands today….

In 1986 a further 29 bars of gold were brought up….that means there’s still five bars down there…!

British History

On this day in history….25th February 1939

On this day in history : 25th February 1939 – The first Anderson shelter is erected in a garden in Islington, London…. 1.5 million are distributed before the outbreak of World War II….

Designed in 1938 by William Paterson and Oscar Carl Kerrison, the shelter was named after Sir John Anderson, the politician responsible for air-raid precautions and who initiated its design….

Made from corrugated galvanised steel, six curved panels would be bolted together at the top and then straight panels fixed to form four walls, with a door at one end…. The whole construction would then be half-buried and the roof covered with at least 15 inches of soil….

An Anderson shelter remains intact amidst destruction in Latham Street, Poplar, London during 1941. from the collections of the Imperial War Museums – Photograph D 5949

The shelters were issued free of charge to those families with an income of less than £5 per week (£300 in today’s terms)…. Higher earning families could buy one for £7…. The shelter would be supplied in kit form – everything required to build it would be included along with an instruction guide – but it was up to the family to erect it….

At 6ft high, 4.5ft wide and 6.5ft long the shelters were designed to accommodate up to six people…. How comfortable they were inside was up to the individual family – although incredibly strong, which gave reassurance, they were cold, damp and cramped inside….

Children in an Anderson shelter during frequent night-time German bombing raids on Bournemouth in 1942. Image credit: TheBrit CC BY-SA 4.0

It was possible to make the outside to look quite attractive, flowers and vegetables could be planted over them…. In fact some neighbourhoods held competitions for the prettiest shelter….

Porthcurno Telegraph Museum – Photo credit: Robin Stevens

Throughout the war period over 2.5 million Anderson shelters were erected. At the height of production John Summers & Sons Ironworks in Deeside were producing 50,000 per week….

For a small fee families were allowed to keep their shelter after the war – and indeed many were dug up and used for sheds….

British History

On this day in history….12th December 1939

On this day in history : 12th December 1939 – HMS Duchess sinks after colliding with HMS Barham off the coast of Scotland; 136 lives are lost….

HMS Duchess, a D-class destroyer, had been built in the 1930s…. In December 1939 she was ordered, along with her sister ships, HMS Delight, HMS Duncan and HMS Dainty, to escort HMS Barham back to the UK from Gibraltar…. Barham was a Queen Elizabeth-class battleship that had been built in the early 1910s…. She had served in World War One and then after a major refit in the 1920s was to serve in World War Two…. She had been part of the Mediterranean fleet but as of the 1st of December 1939 had become a private ship and so was heading to join the home fleet…. The convoy departed on the 6th of December….

The voyage went well but arrived off the coast of Scotland on the morning of the 12th of December in dense fog…. Nine miles west of the Mull of Kintyre HMS Barham accidentally rammed HMS Duchess due to the poor visibility…. Duchess capsized and her depth charges exploded…. 136 of her crew were lost, including her commanding officer, Lieutenant Commander Robert C.M. White – who was trapped in his cabin as his sliding door had jammed….

HMS Barham herself was to sink two years later, on the 25th of November 1941 – after being torpedoed…. At the time her sinking was censored from the news by the Board of Admiralty, in an effort to conceal the sinking from the Germans – but also to protect the British morale…. It was several weeks before the next of kin of the 862 crew who had died onboard Barham were informed…. Even then they were requested to keep it secret….

The sinking was officially announced on the 27th of January 1942…. The explanation for the delay was given as…. ‘It was clear at that time that the enemy did not know that she had been sunk, and it was important to make certain dispositions before the loss of this ship was made public’….

The sinking of Barham was caught on film by a cameraman from Pathe News who had been onboard HMS Valiant….

British History, Uncategorized

On this day in history….3rd January 1946

On this day in history : 3rd January 1946 – The execution for treason of William Joyce – the Nazi propaganda broadcaster, known to the British public as ‘Lord Haw-Haw’….

Photograph of Joyce taken some time between 1939 & 45 – No known copyright restrictions – Archives of the Law Society via Flickr

‘Haw-Haw’ was a term first coined by Jonah Barrington of the Daily Express…. It actually referred to a number of announcers, with their exaggerated English accents, broadcasting during WW2 to the United Kingdom from the German radio station ‘Reichssender’, in Hamburg…. However, in time the name was to become primarily associated with Joyce….

Broadcasts would always start with “Germany calling, Germany calling”…. The aim was to attempt to break the morale and spirit of the British people – along with that of the allied troops…. Inaccurate reports of the sinking of ships and the shooting down of aircraft…. Urging the British to surrender – attacking the government and the British way of life…. Of course, most people knew it was propaganda – but at a time of heavy censorship it was often used as a way to try and find out information as to what may have become of a missing loved one…. Whilst not illegal to listen to the broadcasts it was discouraged – despite this some 18 million people in Britain are believed to have listened on occasion….

From the collections of the Imperial War Museums

So, how did the likes of Joyce come to be working for the Germans during the war? To understand this it is necessary to learn more about the background of the man….

William Brooke Joyce was born on the 24th of April 1906, in Brooklyn, New York…. He was the son of immigrants – his father was Irish and his mother Anglo-Irish…. When Joyce was 3-years-old the family returned to live in Galway, Ireland….

In 1921, during the Irish War of Independence, Joyce was recruited as a courier by Captain Keating of British Army Intelligence, in the fight against the IRA…. After an attempted assassination on him Joyce was taken to England for his safety…. He was recruited into the Worcester Regiment – but soon discharged after it was discovered he was underage….

Joyce remained in England and finished his education at Kings College School, Wimbledon…. He then studied at Birkbeck College – part of the University of London – graduating with a first-class honours in English…. After being turned down for a position with the Foreign Office he took a job as a teacher….

He began to take a keen interest in Fascism…. It was on the 22nd of October 1924, whilst attending a meeting for Jack Lazarus, Conservative candidate for North Lambeth, that Joyce was attacked by Communists…. He received a deep razor slash across his right cheek, leaving him with a prominent scar from his ear lobe to his jaw….

Joyce took a paid job in the British Union of Fascists (BUF), under Sir Oswald Mosley – and in 1934 he was made Director of Propaganda…. It was after being sacked by Mosley in 1937 that he joined a splinter group, the National Socialist League…. On learning that the British authorities intended to arrest him Joyce fled with his wife in August 1939 to Germany – just before the outbreak of WW2…. He became a naturalised German citizen in 1940 and managed to get a job at the Rundfunkhaus (the German equivalent of Broadcasting House)…. Here he made radio announcements and wrote scripts – but he was to go on to become the best-known of the propaganda broadcasters….

Still frame from 1943 – Allied propaganda cartoon – ‘Tokio Jokio’ – depicting Joyce as Lord Haw-Haw – ‘Lord Hee-Haw, Chief Windbag’

His final broadcast was made on the 30th of April 1945, during the Battle of Berlin…. He finished the broadcast with “Heil Hitler and farewell” – the following day Radio Hamburg was seized by the British – but Joyce had managed to make his escape….

Nearly a month later, on the 28th of May, Joyce was captured at the German/Danish border by British intelligence officers…. During his arrest he was shot through the buttocks – as he had gone to his pocket to produce his false passport but the officers had believed him to be armed….

THE CAPTURE OF WILLIAM JOYCE, GERMANY, 1945 (BU 6910) William Joyce lies in an ambulance under armed guard before being taken from British 2nd Army Headquarters to hospital. He had been shot in the thigh at the time of his arrest. Copyright: � IWM. Original Source: http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205192927

Initially it was thought that due to his American nationality Joyce would have to be acquitted – it was reasoned that he could not be convicted of treason against a country that was not his own…. However, at his trial it was successfully argued that since he had obtained a British passport, by not revealing his true nationality, he had in fact had allegiance to the King and country whilst the passport was valid – and this happened to be the period of time during which he was working for Germany…. Joyce was convicted and sentenced to death on the 19th of September 1945….

The sentence was upheld on the 1st of November 1945 after an appeal – and he was executed at Wandsworth Prison on the 3rd of January 1946 by hangman Albert Pierrepoint…. As he went to the gallows Joyce was unrepentant – as he fell the pressure from the drop split the old scar on his face wide open….

Joyce was buried in an unmarked grave within the prison walls but – after a long campaign by his daughter – in 1979 his body was reinterred in Galway, Ireland….