WW2 – End of World War 2 in Europe

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Meanwhile, towards the end of April, Nazi Germany went into its final death throes. German radio stations were broadcasting messages of despair, claiming that, as they advanced, hordes of bestial, Mongol troops of the Red Army were on a drunken plundering rampage, systematically raping any German woman they could lay their hands on and shooting anyone trying to stop them. All able bodied Germans were exhorted to spare no effort in combatting this Soviet scourge, even if it meant diverting Forces from the struggle against the Anglo-Saxon invaders in the West. One broadcast I heard from the “Sender Wilhelmhaven” urged troops stationed in its area to surrender to advancing British Forces. On April 25th the Red Army surrounded Berlin; on 27th American and Soviet Forces in Germany linked up; on 30th Hitler and his mistress committed suicide. On May 2nd Berlin was captured and German armies in Italy surrendered; on 4th German Forces in Germany and NW Europe surrendered; and on 8th, at one minute past midnight, the War against Nazi Germany officially ended. Continue reading →

WW2 – V1 and V2 rockets hitting London / Soldatensender West

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German V2 RocketLondon at this time was still under sporadic attack by Germany’s doodlebugs, known more formally as “V1s” (in German “Vergeltungswaffe 1″, which translates as weapon of retribution number 1). As these air-borne drones approached (they came one at a time, usually at night), they sounded like massed motor bicycles getting louder and louder as they came nearer and nearer…. until, suddenly, their engine cut out and they began their deadly, silent descent. It was quite un-nerving, waiting for the inevitable devastating explosion, especially as one never had the slightest idea where they were likely to land. Since they glided down, losing height only very gradually, when they finally hit something they did quite extensive damage over a large area around the point of impact. This was in contrast to their successors, the “V2s”, which were huge, long-distance rockets. Continue reading →

WW2 – Royal Navy – HMS Javelin – June 1944

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HMS Javelin

HMS Javelin © naval-history.net

The Javelin was a veteran among the Navy’s larger destroyers, having achieved fame through her exploits during the Narvik operation in April 1940, when she had been commanded by no lesser a public figure than Lord Louis Mountbatten – then a mere Captain RN! (In 1942 he was appointed Chief of Combined Operations; from 1943 until 1946 he was Commander-in-Chief of Allied Forces in South-East Asia; and in 1947 and 1948 he was our last Viceroy of India. He was an uncle of the Duke of Edinburgh and, not surprisingly, he eventually became one of Britain’s eight Admirals of the Fleet. In 1979 he was murdered by the IRA while on board his private yacht, which was blown up)

The mission of the Plymouth-based 10th Destroyer Flotilla was to secure the western approaches to the English Channel at a time when preparations were clearly at an advanced stage for the opening the long awaited “Second Front” against Nazi Germany. Continue reading →

WW2 – Royal Navy – HMS Talybont – October 1943

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After a while I overheard the following Radar report: “271 – Bridge: echo bearing X degrees, range Y yards”. After a few seconds came the reply: “Bridge – 271: that’s a small island; carry on sweeping”. Then, almost immediately and rather excitedly: “271 – Bridge: something’s moving behind that last echo!” followed at once by: “Bridge – 271: hold it! Bridge – all stations: be on your toes!” Sensing the possibility of danger lurking, I twiddled my tuning knob with heightened resolve……

Suddenly, with a deafening crackle, my headphones sprang to life! The crackle went dead and a clearly audible, tense male voice announced: “AN ALLE VON NULL, KARL GELB!” (to all from Zero, Charly Yellow). I jumped up, tore open the sliding door and gave George a kick. Continue reading →

WW2 – Royal Navy – HMS Talybont – Summer 1943

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HMS Talybont

I was in the habit of taking my dhobying to the Albert Road branch of a chain of laundry shops known as “Millbay”. Since going to sea I’d only once tried my hand at doing my own dhobying. As I didn’t own a bucket I borrowed one from a mess-mate. Before I’d had time to dry my washed and scrubbed clothing the ship had put out to sea; and so I left everything in the borrowed bucket, intending to hang it up for drying once we were back in Port. It so happened that our ship then ran into a patch of rough weather, causing the owner of the borrowed bucket to become overwhelmed unexpectedly and suddenly by a desperate and compelling urge to throw up – which he instinctively did right in his bucket – and all over my dhobying…. That cured me; from then on I never again deprived “Millbay” of any of its business! [...] Continue reading →

WW2 – Royal Navy – HMS Limbourne – April 1943

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HMS Limourne © naval-history.net

On catching my first glimpse of living conditions below deck I was shattered! I’d made the mistake of my life in applying to join the Navy! The Mess was squeezed into a confined space between the tapering bulkheads in the ship’s bow and the massive for’ard gun support and ammunition feeders. There were tangles of pipes and electric cables everywhere, with hammock hooks protruding at intervals. Here and there an open porthole let in a modicum of daylight and fresh air to temper the dimly lit, dank, “pussers-soap” impregnated atmosphere. I was allocated one of the personal lockers which were fitted in a row along each bulkhead. The locker lids also served as seats along one side of a line of firmly secured, freshly scrubbed wooden tables. On the opposite side primitive wooden benches provided further table-side seating. Right at the “sharp end” of the Mess there were hammock and kitbag racks. I remarked to one of the matelots that things in the Mess seemed a bit congested. “That’s fuck all, Jack”, was his reply; “the boys ‘is all fucked off ashore. Just wait ’till they comes back, all pissed as arse’oles!” Continue reading →

WW2 – The Blitz – December 1940

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Back safely at H & C’s I went down into the basement for a quiet read. Suddenly an allmighty explosion rocked the building, causing dust to shower down from the ceiling! I raced up to the ground floor, where I could hear the sound of bombs whistling down in clusters! A highly agitated Bert told me he’d just heard the PLA (Port of London Authority) in Trinity Square had taken a direct hit. While Bert shot straight up to the roof in his lift, I ran up to the first floor, put on a raincoat and scarf and grabbed my helmet. As I then leapt up the remaining flights of stairs in the darkness, flashes kept eerily lighting up the windows, a bit reminiscent of a horror film I thought to myself! Continue reading →

WW2 – The Blitz – September 1940

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It wasn’t until the Tuesday night (10th September) that I experienced my first “real” air raid! It was a relatively minor one, compared to the massive raids I’d missed over the weekend. When the warning sirens sounded we all went up onto the roof and waited for the action. Searchlights were combing the sky over East London when we became aware of the unsteady, wavering drone of German aircraft engines high up in the sky. Suddenly, for the very first time, I heard the scream of a released German bomb as it accelerated on its trajectory towards its target, to explode in a flash of fire on impact. Continue reading →

WW2 – August/September 1940 – Worthing & London

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Hitler holding a speech in the Reichstag

© Bundesarchiv

That evening on our radio I tuned in to Hitler delivering his “final peace ultimatum to Britain” in a broadcast speech to the Reichstag in Berlin. The speech was relayed by all German radio stations and all stations in the occupied countries, as well as Italian, Spanish, Hungarian, Bulgarian, Yugoslav, American (CBS and NBC), and Argentine radio networks. As usual, after a quiet, carefully measured beginning, he gradually worked himself up into a screaming rage, uttering dire threats of annihilation to “Meester Cherchheel”, decadent English Plutocrats and World Jewery. His ranting and raving would be punctuated by frenzied shouts of “Sieg Heil!” from his spellbound, obsequious audience. Continue reading →

WW2 – April 1940

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Then on 9th April, 1940 “our” War hotted up, as Nazi Germany wantonly overran Denmark (where there was virtually no resistance) and simultaneously set about attacking Norway. Despite attempts by our Royal Navy and French Forces to establish a beachhead at Narvik, the Germans managed to subdue Norway in the space of two or three weeks. Continue reading →