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    Heroes of World War II Bookazine 3e 2023

    Uploaded by

    Joab Santos

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 132
    Perverts Pan THE RESISTANCE * TROOPS * DUNKIRK had dAdaAdadadaddaddAdddsaddadaaa. HEROES o, ORL WAR When we consider the heres of World War's often "The Fe that pring to mind, But esi the brave pilot ofthe Battle of Britain ‘stood many mare heroes, some marewell known than thers. Infantry, navy ang special frees all hada rleto ply too, and so did the ground erews, meticsandtechical specialists who supported them, Spies, code breakers and actions gave the armed orces the information they neadedto effectively combat the Axis powers and defend against them. They wore aided by esstance operatives "who smuggled agents andevllans to safety, gathered valuable inteligence, and engaged in querila warfare behind enemy ines. ‘Tese brave men and women, and many more, were al heres of World Warland ovr the oliowing pages we explore some a their ‘Stories of courage, valour and fortitude 4 L FUTURE 4 r ; WORLD . HEROES of WWIl Heroic leaders of World War II ‘Wh leaderssorainesfound themedtesinvokysturone Brave battle commanders Those commerdess fe fost winks eee Dark secrets of the real French Resistance ‘The fot for France was taken upby Frenchmen women and foreigners alike Nancy Wake: The White Mouse The special agent who ranrings around the [Navisandtappedthe Gestapo = wanted lit The miracle of Dunkirk In May 1940, 30,000 Aled soldiers were saved from the ful fury ofthe German bitzkrieg The last line of defence ‘Tho utiate treat ofa German invasion was held at Bay by the RoyalNavy Their finest hour Yeung ter ptt he Poy Fore teieardtvrtedtobnobe The indomitable Dowding System Anair defence System developed in the 1303 enabled RAF fighters to win the Battle of Britain The Forgotten Man “The Few’ may Rave won the Battle of Brian but they were tthe tipo vast machine 303 Squadron ‘Among te deadliest btleastcelebrated pilots toight the Lufwae were Poland air ces The WAAF Thewomen who risked thee lives, protected the nation an blasted socal norms CONTENTS 76 The Night Witches InSovetRusSa yore oka the shes to tater tar matherard 82 The Flying Tigers vow the fer as ole erin Voluter Group deed ingeralJpaninwer orn China 92 Odette Sansom: Surviving the Nazis ata roel rare Encve Franc, ations was apuredby eas -butmade ou alive 94 Spies that won World War II ‘These are the spies, secret agents, codebreakers and cabotours Brians secret ‘army whe foughtin the shadows inabidto ripple Naz Germany 104 Enigma: How Britain’s codebreakers turned the tide in WWII Dieeoverhow the men and women of Bletchley Parkerackedthe ‘unbreakable German Enigma andhelped defeat Hitler's Nazis 12 SA aS erat escaper aay Powlhnetawern 18 Charles H. Coolidge Inthe autumn of 1964, nthe Vosges Mountains of eastern France ths Tecnica Sergeant led ‘an outnumbered group of Gis who stood their round against repeated German attacks 122 Vernon Baker: Medal of Honor Seretines e's vl sree immediatly for Vernon abr woul take SD yersforhan tobe propery rewarded or re 124 Lachhiman Gurung: ‘one-man army The uros were otto ei telss TiptigiereiibeFce df evel eee 126 Oskar Schindler: The playboy savi casas acorn dsathe Geos eos eee HEROES of WWI LEADERS HEROIC LEADERS OF Wwwil It is sometimes said that leaders in war tend to lead from the rear, but sometimes they find themselves in risky situations WORDS BEN GAZUR inston Churchill had something of» reputation for bravado anda ove of dering-6, lhe Fst World War hehadservedon the Wester Front under heavy heling fr months. When e came to lead the United Kingdom inthe Second World Wer, he was not content ost behind his desk, ‘ihen the German ar fore biased London with bombs during the Bitz, Church could often be found an the rots of Whitehall watching the planes deliver her devastating payloads. When t was suggested that the British Government thouldbe moved to somewhere outside of London he wos ‘adamant they should tay to face the sare perils as the people Churchil also believed strongly in conducting business face-to-face. nal, hemade 25 journeys outside of rain during the war, fen against the advice of hase who were i concerned abouths safety Despite the dangers ofa travel ingeneral, and wth the treat of German arial might in particular he vsted other leaders across several continents Church almost anded with the troops invading France on ay He was oly stoped by King George Vi whe insisted that hurehillwent then he woul go too. ‘During the Battle of Franceat the Beginning af the war, Charis de Gaile was unabe to stop the Garman advance, despite conspicuously expasinghimsl to danger inthe fil With the flo France leoming, de Gaulle mavedto London help lead the Free French forces. He aveled widely orally support despite hisife being put in danger. The leader ofthe Free French hadanofenratious eatonshp with ater Aled leaders but he puthimsalf at iskby returning to Aigeriato continue the ight of French forces m Aric. Notallbravery requires facing down enemies incrsct combat, however Frankin Roosevet, president ofthe United States, hate overcome hi own body during the Second World War Having suferedadebitatngilness in 1921 Roosevelt was let permanently paralysed rom the wait down. in publi, hesupportedhimsel with his arme bun prvateused 2 viheslehae Despite his physial setbacks, Roosevelt worked trelessy throughout the war to defeat fascism, In 1943, Roesevelt became the frst US president to usea plane for oficial business when he made a ong journey to meet With Winston Church, Roosevelt wouldale travel ran, and later Yalta, o meet with Stalin and Churchil despite the ris to hishoalth andthe possibilty of attack HEROES of WWI COMMANDERS BRAVE BATTLE OMMANDERS World War 2 saw new ways of fighting, and those commanders who fought to win had to come up with new strategies ‘WORDS BEN GAZUR he Second World War was fought on sucha large scale that noone person could possbiy control awhole ‘country’s forces. On bated around the word, generals and admirals had to confront new tactics and ‘weapons wih boldness, bravery and wits General George 5 Patton was ane ofthe main proponents ofthe use oftanksin warfare. Befere the war, hewas placed Incharge af the 2nd Armored Division. To filly master tank warfare, he would sendhis 1,200 tanks on exerczesvile ‘serving them froma pane he was lotinghimsel. Sento Die in 1942, Patton's ores were instrumental in capturing Casablanca another targets. While he was arguing that he needed more air support, Patton's offce came under German air tack, the 00 aling in around him, roving his pin. Twas during the Sieiy campaign that Patton really made his name as. aheroic commander, personaly leading the Seventh Army into bate Later at Normandy Patton ed his forces in breakout attacks hat shattered the enemy ines. Histanks often ‘uttripped the rest of te ivading force as hey pushed further towards andthen ino Germany, (Other American generals showed her bravery during the battlesin Europe co, When General McAulifefound his forces surrounded during the Battle ofthe Buge his oppenents sent messengers to ack rhs surrender Mesulife's opty toe demandhas gone down in history: ‘Nuts™ MeAulife’ orcoe helsther postin under fire unt reinforcements arrived (General Bernard Montgomery was not an easy person ais German foes in North rica would soon (earn, Church sid tof Manigomery that he was, in defest, unbeatable in vctry, Unbearable" When placed in charge ofthe forces ranged against Rommel, he was noted for appearing everywhere the slders ‘were to boost morale and oversee preparations. Aer winning inNerth ic, Montgomery was instrumental inthe invasion 1 Europe rom Normandy. Ceneal Georgy Zhukov had one ofthe hardest job ofall the ‘Ali commanders nat only had to control oops, but he alzohadte survive the attentions of Stalin, When Stalin once lambasted Zmukoy for not telling him what was gong on, the general stood up toh, saying, ‘Comrade Stalin cur duty is frst ‘alto helpthe rontcormmanders and ony then ta infrm you" ‘There ae countess examples of commanders acing with unfappable bravery under fre during the Second World War and inepring their mento fight onto vitory. 7 WET eas i i j 1 Mater site ace ae DYN Teste ae a a ee a DARK SECRETS OF ey ahh: Le ata NOR MN rama eo Vichy state, the fight for France was taken up by Frenchmen, women and foreigners alike Rate te ee eat Beene Ree ees ee eee et en arc oer eaten ame oe ter nee er ae Pee eee ar ae eee Perret aera eae enters = pron went erin eer) ‘Thesheerferocty and resounding success of documenting what was seen bythe ternational theattackhadsheckedthe French people, and auclonce as LaRésstance's finest hour before any thoughtsaf striking back were even However istarical revision has challenged Pe eee te ee ee oe eee Ceres irene eerie! ae ay irc eee ee Cee ee Paap nee’ Eee ce eee eee enc re eee eee eerie ee eee ee core ree Mee ee inpopular memory as La Résistance Francaise, tominmise the efforts ofthe lesser-known thewellknown story ells ofthe inspirational resisters, particular French communists to give eee een a eel een sear Tr peer renee oases ren gm enone sa cry SS SSS Sa aT VA EATS Tae Cs : USES OTS a SSP EY a Se TS Sa PONS Tae eee SSP Ug Tee) Se TE aU UAVS aU tg OF TIMES AND IN JUST AS MANY WAYS THE BEST OF SST SSeS Ye Jean-Pierre Levy, leader of the Frone-Tireur HEROES of WWI % Inrecentyears.the came athe ore in an attempt to realise the forts ofthese lesser-known groups and how the Résistance was natjustanatinal rebelion, butpartof a€uropean-wde ani-Fascist drive to frase he Naz The defence of her homeland asa patriotic reflex or only ome ofthe French citzens, What soften forgotten inthe post-1945 fanfare of Aled ‘etry tht many ofthe Frenchntaly tolerated rated withthe Nazi, One example ing military group knownas the ordre egonnatre which was eeated by war veteran and far-right leaning Joseph Oarrard This group wholeheartedly supported the Vichy government and even paticipatedin aging the German occupatinby rounding up Jews Ths assistance tothe Third Rech wasn’ ited to ust France eter -the 000 men rom the Légion des Volo Scene Division, went as far asoining the Wehrmacht «dating nthe USSR ater the opening ofthe ern Front. they simply werent involved nan uprising, er was great and did what by keeping ther heads fnactofzelf preservatin. Co-operation withthe Nazis was also metivatedby economic reasons, andy Apri'942, French industry had secured German coniracts tothe tune of 2 26blon Reschemar “Anyone who wasn’ wilting tive ina Nazi state fed south across the demarcation line Between “HATRED TOWARDS THE GERMANS INCREASED DRAMATICALLY OVER THE COUNTRY AND SOME THINGS AS INNOCENT AS ‘A FRENCH GIRL BEING TAKEN TO THE CINEMA BY A WEHRMACHT SOLDIER OUTRAGED FRENCHMEN Vichy and Occupied France. milion refugees ‘made the journey, suing all hey could t int cars and rain carriages. The French Third Republic was ovr Inthe safety ef Britain, de Gaullebeievedhe was the self-appointed leader ofthe Free Fen ‘bt very fe tuned in ohisfamaus rade appeal on 18 June 940, and many acted a thei own accord Infact, hehadnextto-n input for the st yeor ‘of German occupation. Maryhadexpectedtne ‘ew leader ofthe Vichy government Philippe UO aS ae [B While de Gaulle was across the channel in the safety of London, these courageous individuals were slugging Cone ten eee gel ony a ote Parente rena) Perera earns estate eed piaieiienMar Ty pipeerinenrey meee) rae eeney re eee Peper Peary inrance when the eae peepee aan aera panel baer spy forthe OS. x Poser Eas paren erred Seer pnereant ed ere reniioetey eros pret et! Penny covprrecerenr pie Facey ny eat? eee peered peermeperernn Perey rereont eel eer reed ecramereanneys Alles mest decorated pesnieenenr ey par oeetinaegy Pea oan Peat eos Dahlem was a German pees reer ee eee ay See) Popular Front against Seperated paternrimery Porsenna] eee pabrentoy tars td Perrine Pacers roenent oy ees Pearce) Pore nee Leen rinse posthumously a Pere emcee DARK SECRETS OF PE Uae UU las Patan, the heroof Verdun, tohaveanaceuphis secret. Buta smal circulation of anal graft sleeve, butwhen t became lear tha this was not andleafets wouldbarly make dentin the UW forthcoming th resistance began German occupation. 5 Begining so orgs moverent or ens hegano share bel oordnaed yourgmenstisesumaeéthtenyuprome | eferstaakshape nthe nor he Co sae aN aa ° fove:bame etre Dare brotherhood. Decatancsgroupsspongup wen tiesoun, Ae ee a aS Vichy rege bytumingatneyetoResetance Unison S (sbeaton Sou and anc earner noo Scimles HavedtoardtheGerersnessed TeeurreestocersNeecioineetonces i ane Sromatcly ovrthecourtysndsare tings ss One grou Dien de Frane, was Sapo nea cane fmocertacariengilochgttenathecana stievoeprseceu sfecaserestow (AGRA Reg ates ola cue pet tierce byaWietrmacis =n Prerieneeeper wr ae ra srienersresnteen community. iteverpuforwardaparicdar Sghtawarandinvie German ocupaon Coie aa ce paltestscluionorconsitsionlomework.lergestorgonisaton Liberation Nerd. wascetup AAA Ae oR aa ‘Nessimpljawayotresorngnationalpride and inthenorh, Thebranchigot acs Christan (CE le eee set respect FinevandRobert Lacoste. ihegroupfod cece (A eo eae aL IistoFtenehtsde ncns ans tocgns vere A ear aes eae MANY FACES OF RESISTANCE _—_sgnedof bythe mane " [erie laedadiclprpraatierpe Thediferen acon that rose foughtfor very _includedten rade unit om the General Frvetoetiavenneettiath belly Siferenvisonsof the world Aerthefaloreat Confederate of Labour (Trp. Toe reer teteneenaniio OperatonSeaion tbecamectear thatthe Britsh —Theconmmunste wit Fran aco setup Posrooernterey rer neon ‘weld be deeateds easly andplans were anatinwide organization known asthe Front Pesan onto er ene error hatches the ferent groups to fghitback The Natonalondswlyesabished themselves as AOA aan aa “Vet ompled wth isovertards and instructed one ofthe mos lent groups operating, The ostream enrnierianiey Poulton ot tog ape the Germans, organisations often ought amang themselves os uve Me a prevering ssmanyoopssspessblefom,—theytuseledobethemajrtacien anda wocst (Ane esse our teavngecoutrytotakeaparme gant the_unilater inthe warihat hey woud be und Prvenmerewet neve venienetny Aten another Aled rly. tide one banner ad the common gel Praca eternity ytheWehrmachts theiraton enema pstoncont kepeilebegetornae ce gros wer bth va Solatotenenceartebcares egoningota F parece ninoirtoneerton beam reuniiy Pere eure sacra Ferment tren emer ien perio rnernieati Uterature andthe commemorative wreath ‘By purpeselysiverting freight, Stuy { ctteeng ety Saad Oy fT ee SY TE POS TSSMea aa 5 HEROES of WWIl laxon signals. groups such as the Fer Réseau Aron Network) were formed.as the marty of the oppostonconcerneditat win wearing the German patience down overtime. ‘Underground newspapers suchas Libere-To! (Free oursli) and Sous a Botte(Under The Boot) ‘were published the north by the endo 1940, a8 ‘word began o spread on how best to maklife dificult forthe occupiers. Even classical texts from French authors came bck nto creation help inspireFrenchnatonalism.Dissention ia the press wascammonpracicein France and thepubliestion erature wasaneficent way of galvanising people to rise against the Reich “Music was also important and Le Chant Des Partisans (Song Of The Partisans) became the Lunoficil anthem ofthe Résistance. However, wasn long unite Germans cracked down on this discontent Anyone found would be arrested MAP OF VICHY AND FREEFRANCE = «~~ After the French forces’ capitulation at the hands of the Wehrmacht, the nation we resembled a very different place LT aiaecsabaes 16 and deported to a work camp, but these threats {ie stop the movement, and overtime ts methods of defance began to branch out Individual acts of sabotage becare frequent anda popular form ofineurecion was the cutting oftelephone lines. Thisresultedin the deaths of ‘many German personne who were subsequently notinformed incoming RAF bombing Fads ‘One group that quickly made tsel invaluable ‘was the Cadix Team ~a group of Poles who had ‘made ther journey west ter te fal of Poland ‘They pascedon ther knowlege of howto crack the enigma machine onto their western alles. The group cisolved afer tsmembers were captured, butespte being tortured, they never gave away theieseerel, ‘As the warin Europe began to escalate, Aled piltswere shot down oer the skies of France they survived the drop andevaded capture, they mould be smuggled ito neutral Switzerland or Spainby the Résistance and given fresh instructions on German military strategies ta ake back to lied commond, ‘One of the main organisations that tookpartin this was agroup ef French Zionists knowns the Armee Juve wish Army, who specialised in smuggling Jews over the Pyrenees. Saving the pilots was undertaken using anumber of atline ‘scape routes, and as 200035 the Ales got wind ath rapidly esing movement (approximately 28,000 fugitives wee smuggled across the French-Spanish border alone) they sent the Brtish Special Operations Executive (SOE) to help co-ordinate future operations. Now. some af the groups answered directly to these Allied frganisations. The first SOE agent dropped into France in May 19, and twas clear that the age of LaRésistance was hereto stay (092 June 19, the ant-Naei movements received 3 boos asall he communist factions ‘within France net respenset the launch of Operation Barbarossa, merged into one single sfoup. This immediately nereasedthe larger froupspliical muscle asthe communist ook the ight back to the Nan, wih rect orders rom Moscow ordering the group to disrupt the Third Reict’s miitary The Feldkommandan of Nantes, bersteutnant orl Hot, was assassinated an 20 October 142, andthe group boasted that they wer ling ‘more thon 500 German soldiers month. The German reaction ta Hotes death was severe and 50 Frenchhostages were executes immediately asa result, These attacks were met with isdn by the majority of the population, who didnot want to see innocent lives being lostforacause they dno fully support. At ths tine, the majority ofresistance stl vised againtvolence. Underoround preseandincitry cabotage were, ath time sil the main way a ihtingback. and Bni-Naz propaganda could now be frequently PSM TTL aes found on train carriages and in apartment fyers ‘As 19 wore on, SOE agents and Résistance fighters were beginning to communicate freely andcoded messages rom the B8C were ling the ‘arwaves, There were aso now detectors from the Vichy cause. Hen Frenay.afermermember cl the Vichy administration, began publishing his ‘mn underground newspepers, He became so Gilusonedtnathecreatedhis onn resistance ‘group: Combat. These added defectors ntiated 2 ounter-resistance movement a the Wehrmacht {and Gestapo began to rule with an even tighter iron ‘st Food was rationed further and access tocars, ‘was severely lented tthe Frene, As the Gestapo ‘mobiised, many Résistance fighters fed tothe forests of several unoccupied zones for safety and to regroup. By the summer of 142, even withthe ‘ded Gestapo presence, French discontent had ‘begun to bol over. One ofthe first examples of ‘open dssatisfactionwas on 14 July, Basile Day in France, where hoards of people took othe streets innational colours. 6 demonstrations tok pace, but the event was overshadowed tw days later bythe eocalled Vet dtr Roundup which saw (German sollrs take thousands of Jews into the Parisian eyeing stadium, the Vélodrome diver, for deportation te Auschwitz “Thi event demeralised suppor forthe Viehyand Nazi regimes eve further, but the demarcation ine was proving tobe one of the toughest obstacles fora national resistance ‘overeat. Naturally the spread of propaganda ‘and ideology inthe occupied roth was much trickier but many also sil supported Pétan cevenifthey werent pro-German. The Résistance ‘alized natbating agains the Germans aleo ‘meant fighting what Viny stood for complete allabortion with the Tia Raich It wast nly French tzens andthe SOE who were geting volved. Albert Guérssewasa ‘ember ofthe Belgian resistance and went under the alas of Patrick Abert Leary Gurisse helped establish the PATIine, which became nother effective means of ranepoting downed pilots to safety Pilots rom as far aed as New Zaslandbenefited trom one ofthese ines, with Kivi RAF plot John Moris relanton one techs burnin fghtec el rom the sky Helpalsocameinie shape of Rene Guiraud ‘anAmericanspy whe came to thefore ater Se fig RESISTANCE Ue ee es Poteet tees eer Pee eet) Pree arent tery ee kere ry these re Perera Centre ener Paterna ener Successful eampaigns suchas Operation preverriverpitetrerpornetneew pret aenieeiiceestel tr) oe ee eons See eae Pa) CeIn reine eran Pemmnaetorec reimnar artery Pee cera abreTTY Eiceieereripenee arene) teeta HEROES of WWIL | eng cares the American Ofce of Strategie Servis OSS) became valved the resistance movernent in 943. Guiraud parachuted nto France along with is radio operator tocalict intelligence and Sabotage German miltary units, He maragedto assemble 1500 Guerilafghtersandutlised the ‘mento develop complex inteligence networks. Hewas eventually caught and senttoCachau and sadly. as Gureud was dressed as acivilan he was technical an illegal combatant, denying him POW Fights under the Geneva Convention. ‘Dachauisinfamous forts treatment of Jews Inparticulr but the mast common place fora captured French Résistance member to end up was inNatzweilerStrutho,aeamp inthe Alsace. The Nacht und Nebel Night and Fo) directive against polieal activists was decreed by Filer and an estimated 24,000 anti Fasc fighters (and roughly 56,000 French ighters) rom al over Europe were entto the camp, as forthe frst time resistance became a truly continental movernet. The Résistance had many Jewish members, Andre Scheinmann escaped Naz Germary afer Kristlinacht in 1938 and learning that is parents had been imprisoned at Auscha, the former French Army solder joined up a an interpreter. He worked his way upthe hierarchy to become second in command of network of 200 spies, Using his poston nthe French national ralroad tohis advantage, he helped gather information ‘onGerman troop movements in weeky bulletins, " ALLORDRE DE RESISTANCE any Po tayeain race Skoripcnbecme reine Scheie Eventually the Gestapo got wise to his leaks, uty thetime hewas sent to Natzwelr, Schalomann's work was done He survived the amp and was awarded the Legion of Honor and the Madsile da Résistance by the French government afer the war. “The camp's most famausinmates could well, havebeen Word War veteran General Charles Delestraint anc former commander athe French Seventh Army Aubert Frere. Both servedin the Resstance, Deestrant was recruited in 1942 and tasked with commanding the Armée secrét while Frere was leader ofthe Organisation de résistance de 'armée (ORA). Many ofthe prisoners at Natzweler had inks to aresctance qrous own a5 the Moguis "The main arm of violent response in France, the sroup's origins dat back tothe sprig of 1942, when these freedom fighters sprung up primarily inthe Limousin and Puy-de-Dime regions Further down the line, they spread to other areas af France and became renowned for thei vious attacks on German forces any French POM: {escaped the carps they woul requertly end up Jomingore-jomning the Maqui as they seught Fetnutionfor ther ufering, UNITED FACTIONS The British were hesitant to give de Gaulle the poston e desired. churchill and Roosevelt never trusted him fully and ater the disastrous defeat Baiaw kn cna ‘ofan Anglo-French force at Dakar in September 1940, the French general was temporarily frozen cuttal military placing De Goll’ caniaet with France was ined, and in reality he knew ver litle about he actual resitance mavements tat were ging oninthe country, When announeed in Getobe 1941 that hewouldnow dct rsitancein France under the new Comité Francais de Libération Nationale, there wast quite 2 way to go for Anglo-French rmovemens tobe propery co-ordinated. De Gaulle’ pipe dream would only be properly realised ater he had assigned aLeutenat,exvi ‘servant Jean Maul, toundertakehis orders in France. As Moulin met withthe leaders of he southern resistance greups, Combat Libération Sud andrane-Tireural came under the bella ‘ofthe Armée secréte, Somewhat reluctantly, 2 compromise was madefor the Résstance leaders torecognise de Gaulle as their leader in return for rmeh-needed material ai ar London, ‘The Résistance had aways felt under supplied ‘snd underappreciated bythe Allied powers, so toring the faction eaders round this way of thinking. de Gaulle wrote the Declaration tothe Resistance Movement in June 1902, pledging hie commitment o Ie resitance organisations for ‘Spost-war French democracy, The communists were the only group notte acknowiedgethe row pact, nevertheless, the Mouln-led Consit, National de a Resistance (CNR) wasinplace by ‘Above: Acaptred stance hi. The Geman apo edhe coment leader fs Rétance card tat as ued lp intty ombuans an what rau heySelanged bo ge ye on201 DYN Teste ae a ae a Sear eg With the military out of the picture, the French freedom fighters were forced to use whatever firearms they could lay their hands on - a — = ae Blah = / er TE BR AE fy WELROD CONCEALED PISTOL The Welrod was ablation itl designed bythe Brith. They came nto Dia tepevcrat commande equapnetrakingbaee in England An xs’ ‘STEN GUN MK5. Used rom te summer of 1944 onwards, he Sten gun was one ofthe most elective submachine quns. Cheap and simple itwasidea forthe Résistance and was capable of {aking onthe MP4O wielded by the Wehrmacht. The MCS was the fith incarnation ef the gun and proved invaluable in theater years ofthe war, popular weapons wae this ema, shghty ‘rude petal. The FP-25 was oni stopgap {and te main function waste hepthe Résistance to acess beter Axi weapons. ‘MK TT SUITCASE RADIO For the SOE agents in France, {ts was their main means of ‘emmunictin, and espionage ‘was ote es importont = ‘weaponry Used in unison with KAR9SK ‘When British supply drope weren't available, the Resistance would scavenge whatever frearns hy : 7 Could in. Homemade eplsves were popula bit le Mtb fe cerman capers : PTT) esroang the eran san BF saacd bonus = HEROES of WWI ‘mi-1943, and thefinal stage of French resistance could begin. The escalation of Nazi atrocities encouraged ‘mere and mare violent responses, and therorth in particular became a warzone. The BrunevalRaid provided achance or thenew form of resistance fo proveiteel, a= French inteligence reports allowed Beith cormmondas to planter ato ‘onaradarinsalationin immaculate deta that ‘would never have Been achevable otherwise ‘was only in 193, when Na forced labour began to-sverely affect France, that the majriy of the population wanted to completely emove the Germans. This came shortly ater Vichy ended and the Wehrmacht occupied alo France to protect against Aled attacks fromNorth Arca under (peatien Torch ‘ne prominent example wasconthe Apine plateau of Vercors, where 000 French freedom Fighters fought oganat 10,000 Wehrmacht troops with suc erect they wereforcedtocallinan ir ‘eeault tcl vitor, Elsewhere inthe country. disruption efforts were becoming increasingly effective. Between January ad June 1943, there were 130 acs of “sabotage against allines every month andby as early as September ofthat year, hadincreasedto level of 530 per month Clan cars were attachedto the German troop transports toward of bombing stam, bulthe French were one step ahead and instead puttimers.on the explosives so they woul only {ake out thr target and not harm evans. The fermans were struggling t transport equipment, and ith the Alles about to break down the door of Frtress Europ, tis help was essentalto breaking the Wehrmacht Prior to Operation Overlord, 93 teams of three agents (one American, one British and one French) ‘wore sent to Frane te co-ordinate the game: Changing invasion. France was now ina stat of ‘virtual eviwar andthe communists went one step further by kgnapping and executing Water 'SSimember Mjor Helmut Kérnpfein June 196d This demonstratedhow influential the group had become but endedin dieastrout consequences 20 The incensed Nazis ed by Major Oto Dickmann punished these eros by trehing the village 5 Oradour-sur-Glane. small commune in ental France, twas destroyedon10-une 19 and 600 men, women and children were executed ‘The remains ofthe vilage remain untouched to this day ‘When 0-Day ame, the Résistance was mare than ready o help. Some groups helped isolate the 2nd SS Panzer Onision n Britny, preventing reinforcements from amassing onthe beaches of Normandy. Thisisoten down-slayed in contemporary iteratre but was integra to the resounding success ofthe operation, with $3000 writen reports and 700 wireless reports bong sent Aledcommandin the runup othe operation. Schemes such as Plan Vert, where the Cheminots paralysed the French aiinetwerk by destroying 1,800 ralway engines, and attacks fon garrsonsat Tule and Gueret hastened the Wehrmacht demise Post ODay, the German foress were celing, but the work ofthe Résistance was far am complete, Thelocals, who now wore armbands wth the «ross of Lorraine to show her alegance, helped the Ales push ferward and aeseted in Operation Dragoon on the country's south coast. They set smallpartiee to Marseiles, Toulon and Sete to preserve portinstalatons thatthe Germans were targeting for destruction na bratal scorched earth retreat. ‘General Ecenhower even remarked that the presenceof the Résistance was wort 1 divisions Inthe eld, With the Ales and vis going head to, headon theron line, the Resistance was fre to liberate the remainder oftheir eouniry and they were now regarded as legal combatants. ‘With the countryside vrtualy conquered (ema sections of he Wehrmacht continued to Fight hard, nthe Colmar Pocket frinstance) the bration of Pris could start. The Manus were now under the umbrella ofthe de Gaulle Intiatea Forces Francasesdeinterieur FF) and remained ative when lied troops were achore, benefiting frm weapons andmilionsf French Franes being parachuted into rural areas. The worbutis selene gatrbaton babel andwhatempes ‘weapons would be stowed in barns ‘and houses asthe Résistance, ‘who now numbered about 106,000 members ciatherrbt to prevent the Germans frammaintaning any sort ol reconnaissance network inthe country. TOTAL LIBERATION ‘The liberation of Parison 25 August is remembered forthe scenes of ublation across the capital and seemingly the work ofthe French Résistance was done. De Gaulle, mposinghimeslt _sliberatorn-chet ofially soandedal the ‘groups and urged themtojoin the new French ‘Army, andrany dds, signing upto hit back tthe Germans asthe The Reich: borders ‘continued shrink. Revelations since the war's end have tated thatthe ibertion of Pare culg have happened much sooner fit were for political interference. ‘The capita ctyhad ahigh communist population atthe time andboth Eisenhower and de Gaulle ‘Were concerned that success Uberaton bythe communists could end inthe lel taking contrat of they. AS result, very few ammunition drops ‘were allowed within the city rite and it wos ‘ecreed that Paris would taken oly onthe ‘Aled forces’ mark. (De Gaulle was inient on becoming the head ‘of anew provisional government, ondevents suchas his sped uphis ascension power as heplayed th ine of not being an active resister nora collaborator perfectly, His mythaf alot France alwaysbeing unitedas one helped boost hispoltcal appeal. By March 14d, the CNR had ‘ready prepared forthe end ofthe war and had {social andeconomic reforms ready to implement, ‘Te Fourth Repub was taking shape and would ‘extinguish the tortured memory ofthe Thr. ‘The Gaulist memary is of Petainbeing the shield and de Gaule beng the sword that ‘anguished the Nazi threst. This outlook helped France ove onin the tough post-war years and proventedvigiates frm targeting colaboratore ‘who hadbeen scapegostedfor deserting ther ouriry.Oniyby the 1970s, aer the periods of cu unrest inthe summer of 1968, when national identity and socal cahesionhadstblised, the ideology begin to change andthe eferts ofthe real Résietancecameto the fore, ‘As France srugglede come a terms with this so-called Vichy Syndrome the memory of the Résistance became mixed While some svt their actions asa beacon of hope they were azo ‘seenby others, nthefist few ears ar the ‘War a errors who dd ae much harm a they ‘i good. Conversely, the idea of any sort of Naat collaborations an ongeing sre subject. ‘key diference i distinguish sopposiin tothe Germans and opposition tothe Vey regime, The French ciizene who believed in Vichy France dnt necessarily approve of German DYN Teste ae a a ee aa UU eee ae ‘The French Résistance is perhaps the most femous, but other areas of Europe also took up arms against the Nazis eer erie teehee erties ach ee eee ra eny eter eNeTuereal pecereseree hares nad Pesaran ener antec Ca ee acd eee eer eee ey Pipetite eterno een na eee nore eee ener aT mua ere n) peta oaee erent te eee Ded eee een Piper ierie rineerouiniernersy ee eee en Pence eer tame eRe Dither) arin otonetarntny penne eiernntinctiey ere eon een) Cte one aed pasaeeer ay Cees parisien Pare ereaited pooper pene Poe ee ree eer Coniete merry Peer srr enna peer ree Pecans) pipet manner onnys rpecoctireer pre er ee cere Prarie bet sens eee seat ee a aint Perec Pecans Preeneay occupation. For many frightened ordinary people, the government was ameans oan end and it was oni the later years ofthe war when Nazifed laws came ni existence andthe Nazialociies bogan te wersonthat many ellie acta Perhaps the most efectve way of deserting the eat Résiatance isto remove theides of the distinction between being ether aresister trcallaborator vith na in-between, The Résistance was acombination of things. began ‘withthe passion and dedeation of small groupe to standup and ht for their future, but only snowballedint the force we remember iting ‘with substantal help rom ales. France wasno liberates tee, ita its freadomby aninterational coalition. ones gfatitudetoboth de Gaulle and Moulinin particular {erbeing theerivng f towarde that efor. ‘There wil always be controversy over the identity of there ithe true fighters were those who rose up pia ta June 1944, willbe remembered forever ors eri contribution the freedom of France, whether Gault or atherwie, HEROES of WWI NANCY WAKE: THE WHITE MOUSE up at the top Tee Meet Lavy ee eer ented bora eee ane Seren ary Peery tere erent Serco cot) (eee enn oe ere a he one {see hy we pete rN ergo ee een tery erence ent le. The Ge Sora Perera ete Por pairs ee eee ert Cir vant the war Wake was avardd the George Medal by the yen ene er Se 2 HEROES of WWI THE M OF DU In May 1940, 340,000 Allied soldiers were saved from the full fury of the German blitzkrieg in an evacuation that kept Britain in the war, ready to fight another day ter the French surender on 22nd June 1240, Britain stood alone against Nez, Germany. scntating itzkrieg had knocked France out of the war Inamatter f months andthe Briish Expeditionary Force (BEF) had only just escaped from continental Europe tharks toa hurried withdrowolaeross the English Channel, The rirace of Dunkirk was an nce feat that {ave Britain both the morale andthe manpower Feauredto continue the hgh agains the Third Rese. Without rita wouldhave stared down the barrel of deft. “Te eight month Phoney Wer came to an abrupt end in May 190, the German panzer divisions rolled into the Ardennes tain and France had ‘agreed ona defensive srategy that would keep the Wehrmacht andthe Lutwae at boy. Bath counties were well aware ofthe threat hat Her posed andhad done all he appeasement they possibly could to avoid another war. Te invasion 1 Pland finaly brought ther both nto coniet {and now Hilertumeghis attention to Western Europe. The French Army hada reputation as one 1 the best inthe world andvwhat they believed tobe anear-impenerable defensive fortifeation called the Magiot Line stretched acrossits taster border, while the BEF woulaprotect he low Countries from invasion, Nine monte ater the German invasion ofPaland, trae German Army groups made ther advance on 0th May 1940, the same day Winston Church replaced Neville Chamberiain a Prime Minister. The Lnderestimated he strength ofthe German war 1.000 civilians. The Alied armies soon withdrew Germanplanwas for Army rouptohurile machine, expecially the armoured dvisone, nd from Belgkm oo nde lan, a strategy tet through the Ardennes, ail, wooded areact___wereshockedat he speedané theferocty ofthe Beigiumbe invaded before begining the fght France, Bwouldtake care ofthe Netherlands and German advance through the Ardennes, anarea back. The French and ith wereunder the Belgum, whileCwouldkeeptabs ontheMaginct believed tobe too densely forested fortanks. commando Generals Pierre Bilt, Alphonse Line. The attack was amastrstroke by Hitler ‘Theneuval Netherlands surrenderedwithina Georges and Maurice Gameli, wha were andaught the Allies completly bysurprie. week thevihite lag beng waved ater the intenee_cansany a ad with each ater. The French BoththeGrish andthe Frenchhadseverely _bembingofRottersamhadciamedthe ives of inpartcuar were porly organised, the esutof 24 toomuch money and attention beng spent en the Maginot Line, which was simply outhankedby the Germans. This coupled with poor eammunicaion Ines, obsolete tactics and apoorytraned and poorly equipped BEF. eft the Ais exposed, On ith May, Brusses had fallen. The British French forces wer being pushed further west and there was eal concern that te dual Wehrmacht attack through the Low Countries andthe Ardennes would split the Aled forces in two. Between Ish and 2et May, Geman panzer avsions spe rapily through France, making {p80 kilometres of groundas the Bish and the French carried out fighting retreat, Amy Group ‘Agwhelé thee vial bridgeheads over the River Meuse as the Germans pouredfurther ang further ‘west With the Battle of France seemingly ost B THE MIRACLE OF DUNKIRK ‘The pun sprit helped tien rash coerce Ps pee ee Eeinerruatitoy si re ere eae roe ete ‘reody plan forthe evacuation ofthe BEF got Underway, amassve shock to Churchil who, vith Ute communication on the events, had expected the BEF toh its grauna. ‘Despite ther overwhelming surcass, the German panzers were in need of repair On 23rd May, Commander Gerd von Rundsted requested permission or ahalt from Hier who agrees fvth fears that the front, whieh snow was a8 far ‘west asthe Somme, colldbecome overextende This gave the BEF valuable ime to begin the evacuation. The three day respite was shor lived 235th portof Boulogne elon 25th May The Allied ‘armies were getting squeezedto the coastand ‘the next day Operation Dynamo was ordered, Devise by Viee-Admiral Bertram Ramsay and raced rom higheadquaters in Dover, he 2 26 “THE HURRIED WITHDRAWAL MEANT TROOPS HAD TO WADE INTO THE COLD WATER OF THE CHANNEL, AS DEEP withdrawal nadtbeen mooted since 00) May and was expectedto save, at most, 4,000 men. began at 7pm that evening. On the continent, the [BEF were edby Lord Gort, who had withdrawn to Dunkirk wthout informing his French or Belgian allies. Inially, the operation was onl intended tobe aparialevacuationas there was sil hope thatthe majority ofthe BEF would be able a join vith the remainder ofthe French armies ina ounterottack Ths belief wos vain hope more than anything andaside from an atack on Arras con 2ist May, which dd tle expt buy abit of ‘ime, the British ang French were sillengaging n fighting retreat. For tha evacuation, the Briich mustereda Aol of 000 vessels. Beside the Royal Navy destroyers were an assortment of cviban \vessol, Manned byamitur of civilian and rnavyerews,cros-channelfernes, pleasure ‘Steamers andcabincrucers were allreadied forthe journey across the Channel. These Uitle Begum Neve cna TheDuchetyet SSoiedwanine AS THEIR NECKS” hips the smallest ofall was the tiny metre long Tamaina) comprised avolunter force that dernonstrated he British fohting sprit 00m alt made the journey ina story thathas ance become historical legend. Overnight on the 26th May. 8000, BEF troops wore safely evacuated. The hurried withdrawal meant troops had to wade int the Coldwater ofthe Channel, sometimes 35 deep as thet necks, for them to reach the smaller boats that woul then ferry them tothe larger vessels inthe tila Ae more and more companies made ittothecoae, nes of men beganto iter the beaches, awaiting the next vessel out of Dunkirk ‘Thenext day, Calas elt the Germans the pressure starteto increase onthe evacuation to fet as many ofthe BEF as possible hack o Britain before the tzkrieg made tothe coast.25.000, lars departed overnight on the 27-28th May as the withdrawal picked up more momentum. The port of Dunkirk had been regucedto ru by the Cowal so the extraction had tobe done fom es or noni ert tate Beste” ‘fatheywlbe caogtns pcer bythe al German sven rar ‘the beaches although British destroyers were at points able to utlise along causeway called the Eastern Mole atthe enranceof Dunkirk harbour Thishod deeper water that they could sailinto without fear of running aground and becoming ‘lnerable to German attack “The defensive perimeter around Dunkirk was getting smaller by the day butina turn of ‘events, the German and attack stopped. Wary af the prospect of losing more mento the French (garrison protecting the beaches, Hier instructed ‘GéringsLufwafle to Snishthejob, Te coast was bombedheaviy as tukas and Dornier stated the beaches wth machine gunfire. though the BEF were siting ducks, por coordination, adverse \weethercondtions andthe sand deadening the impact of bombs prevented the Germans from landing a potertal death blow on the BEF. The RAFalso helped matters. ORencriisedfor their lack input uring the events of Dunkirk, they managed to down around 10 Lutwafeaierat, {our German planesfor every Arsh pane, but could nat stop the majority the bombing Goring failed to compete the task azsigned tohim and not forthe ast time nthe war (On the final day of ay, twas Gor's turn to leave France and 68,000 men hag now been safely evacuated. Many ofthe roopshad spent ‘ayshuddled onthe beaches but slowly and surely the withdrawal was succeeding Both the estroyers and thet ships were unable to take “any heavy equipment onboard se the majority of BEF vehicies and heavy weaponry wast strewn ‘2crozsthe shoreline. Thislossofvehcles actually ‘caused a shortage in Britain that lasted until 14. Byline, the evacuation started to become more ‘rained, The German a assault was becoming TheDachety ot eterdoneastesry tambed: The hthrane Hier ato to me pocer Bence wiht one enly 30 andy Pern pte on naar ‘heday ater Bagels oootrooes retaken ack successful evacuation completed, would scon taptulat afer the ass ofits major aly. The fellowing day the Wehrmacht marched south towards Paris a8 5 milion French refugees led southin search of safety. Wary of what had already happened te Rotterdam and Warsaw, the French capital was decareaan open city andtaken vith litle resistance. On 2nd une the Battle of France ‘was over, the peace treaty sgned at Versailles, where ust 22 years earlier, France had sat atthe {ble of victors othe Grest War Dunkirk was 2 huge feat, butt wasn't without loss. The Lutwafle sunk sx ritsh and three French destroyers, and 161 ofthebrave litle ships were now atthe bttom col the Channel. intoal 217 Allies vescels were ‘sunk and 177 Alle aera were dowmed. The ile ‘hips had done ther bt but twas ultimately the 239 British and French destroyers who ferried two ‘Wir ofthe men of the beaches. nota, 340,000, British, French, Belgian and Canadian roopshad ‘been evacuated to safety from Dunkirk anda total 015,000 frm ports all cross France. {tain vas dwn but ot out. The fare of the BEF to stem the Wehrmacht advance was testament tothe strength ofthe blitzkrieg but also ‘advortised how il-propared the British andFrench of France, confident that Britain, even with his Bo Son toes save ot heat gta the tation snd 348000 Turing eur eerste ‘Nelrmacht tinge remand rarer France anda ay Feraing sls psn. THE MIRACLE OF DUNKIRK ‘wore for hislghtning war Dunkirk couldhave been afailre but this evecestulwthdraval of troops gave hope towhat was eof the western Alles tofight on may nothave beens victory butcrtealy for Churchill thade't been rout Newspapers cross Brain werehaling tas, anracbut there were negatives. Soldiers ‘eturmed wth (ow morse, disheartened that they simply could not cope with the strength ofthe German panzers and convinced that the invasion of rain wasnt far of. There were even reports of desertion and infighting at Dunkirk with British Solis forcing ther French counterparts of ‘he boats. Tiss known asthe mytho! Dunkirk, thatthe evacuation was deemed much mere of suceezsthan it actually wa, The facts are that fhe evacuation wasnot ‘made, Brain ouldhave hag huge numbers {of POs and wouldhave been on theverge ot reluctant peace terms wither. As iter had hisphoto taken in ron ofthe Eifel Tower the plans or the ivasian of mainland Briain, were Underway, The French General Weygand remarked that"in three weeks, England willhave her neck wrung ike a chicken Thebatlefor France was ‘verand the battle for Brain waz about to bein ‘hatte rane caver poe (oe Bink ono 600 rah Sagan an French smennow eae ‘owpr hav nw been aed sis sre soe ES | ST 80 07 labo ee ‘Shai 1.000mre SEF ssizers omer escalates emade the excpe German sare ‘ity theory equpret lek ‘eon Carcass rong speed The trenchGovermert 27 HEROES i of WWII : aoe+#________. -— THE LAST LINE OF DEFENCE THE LAST LINE OF DEFENCE While the courage of Britain’s fighter pilots secured victory in the skies, the ultimate threat of a German invasion was held at bay by the Royal Navy \WORDS BEE GINGER lowing the fall of France inne 1940, the Royal Nay fought to maintain ts command othe seas against German invasion. The Bale of Brita, which asted frm July {o October ofthat year, marked the rst defeat of ier’s military forces. The Furerhad hoped the Bish Government would seek a peace agreement with Germany, but ths wa not forthcoming, solr wos forced to prepare for Operationseelaw(Sealon, the coderame or his lan toivade Britain. The aim of the operation 'Was eliminate the Roya Air Force sea of the Roya Navy roms intended ondng areas, estoy all unt along the Bish coastne and ‘prevent submarines from attacking the German landing Ree. ‘Since the mid-18th century the Royal Navy had ben the worlds most powerful fee. paying ‘key role inthe establishment ofthe Brish Empire. was als te argest, with mere than 1.400 vessels tots name, provided etic over for Allied convoys during the erly stages ‘of Worlg Warland was a major deterrent too German invasion of Britain Mach ofthe Royal Navy's et was engagedin the Medterranean and Alani the summer ot 1940, a large proportion having Been cepstched to support Operation Menace in Dakar, West rica, (emission tot saw the Ales alin their atterpts tocapturetheport Evens, the Homeleet HEROES of WWI 30 ROYAL NAVY BASES OF WWII From the shetlands to the south coast, these bases were some of the most £ quarding Brita’ shores remained a formidable fpponent afar superir fighting force tits ‘German counterpart the Kriegsmarine. The German feethad suered huge losses in Apri 1940 during the Norwegian campaign, witha numberof destroyers and light rusers Sunk. These setbacks combined with he lack of preparations fora full-seale amphibious azault fn Bian, forced Hers naval commanders to adapt Were the invasiontobegrenit, the Kriegemarine would needto use river barges a5 landing erat However, there werenot enough ot them, andthey would be exremety vulnerable toattack Yet, withU-boats unsfein the shallow waters ofthe English Channel, andlackingin. the specified landing equipment that such vast undertaking required, the Germans would have to persevere with her cumbersome barges. inporentisaltrsfr tel oon) © 4. ‘kirk ar “IF GERMANY HAD ATTEMPTED TO CROSS THE CHANNEL, THE AXIS SHIPS WOULD'VE FOUND THEIR PASSAGE BLOCKED BY FLOATING MONOLITHS” ‘Known as Kempines (and the slighty smaller version. the Pench, they wee to betransierred from the Rhine Rivero Calas tobe converted Wie 2400 were assembled and madd with ‘amps, nly 800 af the ee were sel-powered. This meant the remaining barges weuldhave tobe towed, but they couldony travel atan ‘excruciatingly slow tree kilometres (wo miles) be hour Exposedby thei lack of speed the Eorges vould need tobe defended from potent Brtish assaults, but many ofthe ships capable ‘of holding of the enemy were now rusting atthe Eottomafthe North Ses, “The Royal Navy sferedfrom no such earth in lyps,ermed asitwas with 700 patrol era, 200 of which were already of the coast of France every right en picket duty, rot te mention the destroyers Iteould eal upon. Germanyhadartemptedto ‘rons the Channel, the As ships would have found thei passage to the landing sites (scheduled to elude Dover, Portsmouth and Ramsgate) Blocked by these floating monalthe, Bristing with an array of guns, eachof the Royal Navy's destroyers caries 40 depth charges, ‘which were filed with between 60a €00 pounds ofAmatol, aight explosive mix of TNT ‘sndammenumnirate, as wellas acomplement Cf torpedoes. slow-moving barge packed wit ‘oldiersandhorses would have proves.easy pickings. Bu, imposing a these ships were they ‘vere notindectructle ‘Seven British destroyershad been lost during ‘the campaign in Norway, whilesichadbeen ost,

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