16 Battery R.A.

7 Field Regt R.A.

NEW ADDRESS HODDOM CASTLE

Nr ECCLEFECHAN

DUMFRIES

Monday 12 July 43

My dearest Maz,

I know Pari and Elli will excuse my not writing for a day or two but I must find time for letter writing during the next few days – I dashed off a line to Eileen after I had phoned up on Saturday evening since when life has been one long rush – I’m pleased to say the worst, today, is now over.

Maz dearest, I can’t thank you enough for our marvellous leave and your superb contribution towards it, we did have a wizard time together, didn’t we? We always say it I know but this last leave really was one of the best ever – each time my leave seems more enjoyable than the one before and each time I hate going back just that much more. You were a real hero, my one regret being that I didn’t feel we did enough to help you. I do so hope you and Pari will have a wizard time and that the weather is kind to you. My journey back went like clockwork – Eileen and I had lunch at Euston where she saw me off at 1 ocl. The sandwiches, cake, pork pie and cheese were magnificent and I partook of a hearty meal at about 5.30 – many thanks. I arrived at Carlisle at 7.30 and had bags of time to catch the 8.15 to Langholm and also to get a comfortable seat. I had a slight shock when I learned that I was to leave at 9 am the next day for a new area.

There is one consolation about this place and that is that one could go to nowhere worse in the British Isles – unless possibly a remote part of Ireland! I can’t describe how remote it is – nearest Post Office 4 miles. I do so hope and pray we don’t stay here for too long, though we have been told to prepare for the winter here! That means that we shan’t be here for long I expect. One thing though, we shall be extremely busy in the next month or two so I suppose that’s a good thing. Carlisle, where I had dinner last night with the other 2 Bty Captains, isn’t a bad spot and I shall try and get in there as much as I can, probably once a week or once a fortnight, it’s only 23 miles from here!

The news from Sicily seems to be very good what little there is of it – funny we should have had that conversation on Friday night, wasn’t it? They certainly seem to be putting a lot of men into the invasion presumably they will crack straight on into Italy when Sicily has been ‘put’ in the bag!

I have a very nice room here and am sharing with the other two Bty Cpts both very nice chaps, one being John Ploughman who was at Dumfries with me, and the adjutant – we should get the latest news! Getting here just was a great blessing, as we were able to choose the best room etc.

Maz dear, I must close. Again so very many thanks for your really wonderful kindness – I’ve never eaten such food, or so superbly cooked. My love to Pari and Elli. I have thought so much about you since I left – God bless and much love to you, am so looking forward to hearing from you.

Yours ever affectionately

Peter.

In envelope addressed to Mrs Gerald C Benham, 5 Oxford Road, Colchester Essex.

Postmarked LOCKERBIE DUMFRIES*** 13 JY 43. (1)

16 Battery R.A.

Jul13

7 Field Regt R.A.

NEW ADDRESS HODDOM CASTLE

Nr ECCLEFECHAN

DUMFRIES

Monday 12 July 43

My dearest Maz,

Yours ever affectionately

Peter.

In envelope addressed to Mrs Gerald C Benham, 5 Oxford Road, Colchester Essex.

Postmarked LOCKERBIE DUMFRIES*** 13 JY 43. (1)

Postcard to Mrs. Gerald C Benham, 5, Oxford Road, Colchester Essex.

Friday

View of Annan, our nearest town! Many thanks for your letter, will be writing tomorrow.

Do so hope you and P are having a good leave and the weather is being kind to you – we’ve had nothing but rain up here.

M.L. Peter

Postmarked Lockerbie Dumfriesshire 17 JU 43.

SECOND WORLD WAR

Jul13

Allied Invasion of Sicily

(Mediterranean)

With the defeat of the Axis Powers in Tunisia, the Allies began bombing principle airfields of Sardinia, Sicily and southern Italy. In order to confuse the Axis Powers as to where the Allied attack was to be launched, Naples, Messina, Palermo and Cagliari, Sardinia were also bombed. The most successful deception was Operation Mincemeat whereby the body of a British Royal Marines officer was washed up on the coast of Spain. The British officer was in fact a dead tramp dressed up as an officer and carrying false papers and details of the invasion of Greece and Sardinia. Consequently The Germans reinforced that area but not Sicily.

Sicily was defended by about 200,000 Italian troops, 32,000 German troops and 30,000 Luftwaffe ground staff. The Germans also had 160 tanks at their disposal. They had to defend 105 mile (170km) coast with 26 possible invasion beaches.

The proposed Allied invasion of Sicily was code named Operation Husky, which began on the night of the 9^th/10^th July 1943. The assault was a joint amphibious and airborne attack.

On the 10^th/11^th July 1943 the Italian defenders had assumed that the strong winds blowing that night would halt amphibious landings and were unprepared. Not expecting a pitched battle on the beaches the Italian defensive plan was virtually non-existent, and therefore the landings were a bit of an anti-climax. The British and Canadian forces landed on the eastern coastline while the Americans landings were on the southern and western coasts.

When the airborne assault began just after midnight on the 10^th/11^th July 1943 two British and two American army airborne troops were involved attacking Sicily. Strong winds of up to 45mph (70km/h) blew the Americans off course and by the 14^th July 1943 many failed to reach their rallying point. Of the 147 gliders carrying British troops only 12 landed on target. 69 crashed into the sea, the result being the drowning of 200 men. Creating confusion wherever possible the scattered British troops were able to make contact with a platoon of the 2^nd Battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment, who had landed on target. This platoon had captured Ponte Grande and repulsed counter-attacks and when the scattered paratroopers made contact there were 89 men to hold the bridge by 8.30am. A battalion of the Italian 75^th Infantry Regiment arrived with artillery support at 11.30am. The British managed to hold the position until about 3.30pm when they were forced to surrender. By this time they were down to 18 men and running short of ammunition. Despite all the mishaps of the airborne attack, confusion was created to the Italians by both British and American troops acting in isolated groups, attacking vital points on the island.

Difficult weather conditions, especially on the American southern beaches, created more trouble as many troops landed in the wrong place. However, the weakness of the Italian defensive response allowed the Allies to regroup. By the 10^th July 1943 the seven Allied assault divisions, consisting of three British, one Canadian and three American, were firmly established ashore and the eastern port of Syracuse had been captured. The expected Axis air onslaught had proved unfounded, following the preparatory bombing campaign by the Allies in the previous week. Several Italian coastal defenders fought well and inflicted considerable Allied casualties.

The Allied bombing campaign had left the Axis air force in a weakened position. Operating from Malta allied aircraft kept most of the Axis air attacks at bay. On the 16^th July 1943 the remaining Italian aircraft withdrew to the mainland after losing 160 aircraft during the assault.

Many attacks and counter-attacks from both sides occurred which resulted in many successes and defeats during the remainder of the campaign. However, on the 22^nd July 1943, the American Provisional Corps entered and captured the northern port of Palermo.

In the meantime the Germans had decided to evacuate the island and shortly after the Italians followed suit. On the 11^thAugust 1943 full-scale evacuation began by the German & Italian forces. On the 16^th August 1943 U.S. troops entered Messina. The Allies were in total control of all Sicily by the 17^th August 1943. The Axis Powers evacuation was highly successful with the Germans having 60,000 troops returned to mainland Italy. The Italians recovered about 75,000 troops. However, the success of Operation Husky came at a cost. The British and Canadians lost nearly 12,000 men killed, wounded, missing or captured. The Americans lost nearly 9,000 men killed, wounded, missing or captured. No figures are available for the Axis Powers troop losses.

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SECOND WORLD WAR July 1943

Jul1

(Britain)

Operation Gomorrah was the code name for one of the largest bombing raids on Hamburg beginning on the 24^th July 1943 and lasting 8 days and 7 nights. Hamburg was selected as a target because it was Germany’s second largest city. It also had an industrial area, which included shipyards, U-boat pens and oil refineries. RAF Bomber Command and United States Army Air Force (USAAF) created one of the largest firestorms of the Second World War which mostly destroyed the city. The plan was for the RAF attacking by night and the USAAF attacking by day. To achieve the firestorm incendiary bombs were developed as the British realised the effectiveness during the “Blitz of London” in 1941. The weather was clear on the 24^th July 1943 when the British first attacked using H2S radar navigation. To help confuse German radar strips of aluminium foil “chaff” was dropped. During Operation Gomorrah approximately 3,000 aircraft dropped 9,000 tons of bombs on the city with an estimated 34,000 deaths of German inhabitants. A large portion, approximately 61%, of the housing stock was destroyed or damaged and over one million people evacuated the city. These raids inflicted severe damage on the German armament production in Hamburg. The final raid of Operation Gomorrah was on the 3^rd August 1943. It has not been possible to establish the Allied losses.

(Germany)

When presented with further development of the V2 rocket programme on the 7^th July 1943, German Fuhrer Adolf Hitler approved. He was enthusiastic after watching a coloured film showing the rocket being launched. Shortly after he personally informed Wernher von Braun that he was to become a professor and a leading figure in the development of rocket technology. Von Braun was a German aerospace engineer who joined the Nazi Party in 1937. When he awarded a doctorate in physics in 1934 he wrote a thesis about liquid rocket propellant and began working at the solid-fuel rocket test site at Kummersdorf. In December 1942 Hitler ordered the production of a vengeance weapon against the British. The project was developed to target London in retaliation for the bombing campaign against Germany. Twenty one months later, after being officially commissioned, on the 7^th September 1944, the first V2 rocket was launched against London.

(Eastern Front)

The Battle of Kursk began on the 5^th July 1943 and was fought between the armies of the Soviet Union and Nazi Germany. When the Germans launched Operation Citadel, Kursk was extending into territory held by

the Germans thus forming a salient. The German intention was to attack from the north and the south sides simultaneously. By the 11th/12^th July 1943 the northern sector had stalled at the Battle of Prokhorovka.

On the 12^th July 1943 the Soviets launched a counter-attack which ultimately became the largest tank battle of the war and subsequent history. In the south Soviet tanks had been forced back to their original positions by the German SS Panzer Divisions. The Soviet tank army nor the Nazi SS Panzer Corps never achieved their objectives but the German breakthrough was averted. On the 9^th/10^th July 1943 the Allies invaded Sicily with the threat of further allied landings in Italy and France. Vichy France convinced Hitler to stop the Kursk offensive and move the eastern front troops into Italy.

On the 17^th July 1943 Hitler ordered the SS Panzer Division to cease its offensive and withdraw. The Soviet tank forces soon began planning for a massive counter offensive once the Germans had completed their withdrawal. The German strength during the Battle of Kursk was over 940,000 men, over 3,000 tanks, nearly 10,000 guns and mortars and over 2,000 aircraft. Of the attacking force over 150,000 men were killed, wounded or missing. An estimated 760 to 1,200 tanks and assault guns were destroyed, also 680 aircraft were lost. On the Soviet side their strength was 2,500,000 men, over 7,000 tanks, 4,700 guns and mortars plus nearly 2,800 aircraft. Of these nearly 900,000 men were either killed, wounded, missing or taken prisoner. Over 6,000 tanks and assault guns were either destroyed or severely damaged and over 2,000 aircraft lost.

(Mediterranean)

In the village of Liaskovo in Bulgaria the National Bands Agreement was signed on the 5^th July1943. This agreement was between the British military mission to occupied Greece and the three main Greek Resistance organisations. Greece at the time was occupied by Italy, Germany and Bulgaria. When negotiations began in March 1943 it was an attempt to avoid clashes between the various resistance groups, which had previously happened. Once the agreement was signed the various groups failed to co-ordinate their guerrilla movements. By October 1943 the agreement ended when the groups began to clash again. Each individual organisation looted for its own benefit the Italian stores of equipment and munitions following the Italian capitulation in September 1943.

Operation Husky was the code name for the Allied Invasion of Sicily. The invasion was a joint amphibious and airborne attack which began on the 9^th/10^th July 1943. Following the defeat of the German/Italian armies in Tunisia the Axis Powers were expecting an invasion of mainland Europe. To confuse the enemy the Allies began a deceptive bombing campaign against Sardinia, Sicily and southern Italy. However, the most successful deception was the British Operation Mincemeat. Britain had released a corpse dressed as an officer who was washed up on the beach of Spain. With him he was carrying false details of the invasion of Greece and Sardinia. Consequently the Germans reinforced that area but not Sicily. Sicily was defended by 200,000 Italian troops, 32,000 German troops and 30,000 Luftwaffe ground staff. The Germans also had 160 tanks at their disposal. They had to defend 105 miles (170 km) of coastline with 26 possible invasion beaches. The amphibious attack was a bit of an anti-climax as the defenders were unprepared. Owing to strong winds the Italian defenders were virtually non-existent as they had not been expecting an attack. Difficult weather conditions, especially on the American southern beaches, created more trouble as many troops landed in the wrong place. However, the weakness of the Italian defensive response allowed the Allies to regroup. By the 10^th July 1943 the seven Allied assault divisions were firmly established ashore and the eastern port of Syracuse had been captured. The expected Axis air onslaught had proved unfounded, following the preparatory bombing campaign by the Allies in the previous week. Several Italian coastal defenders fought well and inflicted considerable Allied casualties. When the airborne assault began just after midnight on the 10^th/11^th July 1943 two British and two American armys airborne troops were involved by separately attacking Sicily. Strong winds of up to 45mph (70 km/h) blew the Americans off course and by the 14^th July 1943 many failed to reach their rallying point. Of the 147 gliders carrying British troops only 12 landed on target. Creating confusion wherever possible the scattered British troops were able to make contact with a platoon of the 2^nd Battalion of the South Staffordshire Regiment, who had landed on target. The South Staffs had captured Ponte Grande and repulsed counter-attacks and when the scattered paratroopers made contact there were 89 men to hold the bridge at 8.30 am. A battalion of Italian Infantry Regiment arrived with artillery support at 11.30am. The British managed to hold the position until about 3.30pm when they were forced to surrender. By this time they were down to 18 men and running short of ammunition. Despite all the mishaps of the airborne attack, confusion was created to the Italians by both British and American troops acting in isolated groups, and attacked vital points on the island. The Allied bombing campaign had left the Axis air force in a weakened position. Operating from Malta allied aircraft kept most of the Axis attempts for any air attacks at bay. On the 16^th July 1943 the remaining Italian aircraft withdrew to the mainland after losing 160 aircraft during the assault. Many attacks and counter-attacks from both sides occurred which resulted in many successes and defeats during the remainder of the campaign. However, on the 22^nd July 1943, the American Provisional Corps entered and captured the northern port of Palermo. Operation Husky would continue into August 1943.

For further details see separate essay on the Allied Invasion of Sicily.

Italy’s Fascist Dictator Benito Mussolini was relieved of office and arrested by the express order of King Victor Emmanuel III on the 25^th July 1943. Dictator of Italy since December 1925 Mussolini had complete control over Italy and could only be removed by the King. Italy entered the war in June 1940 and became part of the Axis forces. When the Axis troops were defeated in the North African Campaign, Italy’s military position became desperate. As early as April 1943 Mussolini had urged Hitler to make a separate peace with the Soviet Union. This would allow Germany to send troops to re-inforce the defence of Italy. Hitler did not respond until the 19^th July 1943 when Mussolini was summoned to Feltre in northern Italy. Rome was bombed by the Allies on the 19^th July 1943 , Mussolini was sickened by Hitler’s boasting and accepted the fact the Axis Powers were losing the war. Although Dictator, Mussolini was also Prime Minister of Italy. When he announced to his government that Germany was thinking of evacuating southern Italy, some prominent members turned against him. The government met on the 24^th July 1943 and the vote of 19-8 margin was a vote of no-confidence, but Mussolini ignored it. He thought the government was an advisory body only, but they recommended to the King the removal of Mussolini. King Victor Emmanuel had already decided to sack him and summoned him to the Grand Palace on the 25^th July 1943. He was dismissed but was guaranteed his safety, and upon leaving the palace was arrested by the palace police by orders of the King. The police transported him to safety in a Red Cross Ambulance car. He was detained on an isolated mountain resort of Abruzzo. When the news was broadcast on the radio the people thought the war was over, such was the discontent with Mussolini. In the meantime, the King had appointed Marshall Pietro Badolio as Prime Minster who kept up the appearance of loyalty to the Germans and Italy would keep fighting. However, he dissolved the Fascist Party and began negotiating with the Allies on the 27^th July 1943. Eventually Mussolini was rescued by German S.S. troops on the 12^th September 1943.

(Pacific)

In the Solomon Islands on the 6^th July 1943 the naval Battle of Kula Gulf was fought between the ships of the United States and Japanese off the Kolombangara eastern coast. The Solomon Islands consist of individual islands with waterways between them each having individual names. American intelligence had been informed that a “Tokyo Express” was proceeding along “The Slot”, which is the main waterway between the islands. The “Tokyo Express” consisted of ten Imperial Japanese destroyers, seven of which carried 2,600 infantry. The remaining three were escort destroyers. Their destination was Vila airstrip on Kolombangara Island. In the meantime, the Allies launched an offensive on the Solomon Islands on the 30^th June 1943 by landing on Rendova Island. Once established U.S. troops crossed the Blanche Channel to land on the southern coast of New Georgia Island on the 2^nd July 1943. Their destination was the Japanese held Munda airstrip. On the night before the battle, three light cruisers of the U.S. navy conducted a bombardment of Vila on Kolombangara and Bairoko Harbour on New Georgia. The bombardment was to support American troops who had landed at Rice Anchorage on the northern coast of New Georgia. At the same time two American destroyers had entered Bairoko Harbour to provide additional fire power to the bombardment. USS Strong spotted a closing torpedo which struck her portside and putting her out of action. The torpedo attack caused the loss of 46 sailors but 241 survivors were picked-up by the second destroyer. The torpedo which caused the damage was a long range torpedo fired as part of a salvo from 11 miles (20 km) distance and not by the assumed submarine.

Rear Admiral Walden Ainsworth had been ordered to intercept the Japanese “Tokyo Express” on the afternoon of the 5^th July 1943. In addition to the three light cruisers who had bombarded Vila and Bairoko Harbour, Ainsworth had four destroyers as his remaining task group. Two of the destroyers that had entered Bairoko Harbour had been replaced and the task force began to search for the “Tokyo Express”. The Japanese forces had been divided into two groups and when the battle began three destroyers were unloading 1,600 troops and 90 tons of supplies at Vila as part of the first group. The three Japanese escort destroyers of the second group were the first to be engaged after Ainsworth had located them on radar. After a twenty minute salvo of over 600 shells Japanese destroyer Niizuki was sunk andAdmiral Akiyama killed. During the salvo USS Helena had expended all her flash-less powder and was forced to use smoke-less powder, thereby illuminating herself with every shell fired. Two Japanese destroyers fired torpedoes which hit and fatally damaged Helena. Following the first engagement the main second Japanese group of seven destroyers broke away behind a smokescreen. During this period Japanese destroyer Magatsuki was hit by a 6 inch U.S. shell and ran aground near Bambiri Harbour on Kolombangara. Her crew abandoned her and the ship was later destroyed by U.S. aircraft. Japanese destroyer Hatsuyuki was also hit and slightly damaged by two shells which failed to explode. Around 3.3O am Ainsworth began to retire toward Tulagi the Central Province of the Solomon Islands. In the meantime the Japanese headed toward Buin, Papua New Guinea. Two U.S. destroyers USS Radford and USS O’Bannan remained to rescue 750 crew members from Helena. Japanese troop carrying destroyer Amagiri also remained to pick up any survivors. Whilst withdrawing round about 5.00 am Amagiri and U.S. destroyer USS Nicholas exchanged torpedoes and gunfire. Although hit four times by gunfire Amagiri withdrew. Of the first Japanese group unloading at Vila two of the three destroyers departed through the Blackett Straight leaving Mochizuki to linger for an hour. When she departed around 6.15 am she briefly clashed with Nicholas before withdrawing behind a smokescreen through the Kula Gulf. American losses during the battle amounted to one light cruiser sunk and 168 sailors killed, 122 from USS Helena and46from USS Strong. For the Japanese they had two destroyers sunk and a further two damaged and 324 men killed including Admiral Akiyama.

Despite the Japanese losses at the Battle of Kula Gulf, they continued to send reinforcements to New Guinea. The naval Battle of Kolombangara was fought on the night of the 12^th/13^th July 1943 off its north east coast. To counter the Allied landings on New Georgia, and to reinforce their southern flank around Rabaul, the Japanese sent another “Tokyo Express”. One light cruiser, five destroyers and four troop carrying destroyers transporting 1.200 soldiers formed the “Tokyo Express”.

Allied coast-watchers detected the movement of the “Tokyo Express” along the waterway of Kula Gulf and Admiral Ainsworth was again ordered to intercept the Japanese ships. Designated Task Force 18, it consisted of two U.S. light cruisers, one New Zealand light cruiser and ten U.S. destroyers. The New Zealand cruiser HMNZS Leander was a direct replacement for the loss of USS Helena during the Battle of Kula Gulf. Ainsworth’s mission was to prevent the Japanese from landing troops on Kolombangara and stem the flow of reinforcements to Munda airstrip on New Georgia. Ainsworth’s battle formation was five destroyers in front, followed by the three cruisers and five destroyers in the rear. Sailing from Tulagi on the evening of the 12^th July 1943 they encountered clear skies and calm seas. Ainsworth steered a course to avoid being spotted by Japanese reconnaissance aircraft. Being advised by Allied aircraft that “Tokyo Express” was about 26 miles (42 km) away, Ainsworth again altered course toward Visu Visu on the northern coastline of New Georgia. By increasing speed the Task Force established radar contact at about 20 miles (32 km) at approximately 1.00 am on the 13^th July 1943. Ainsworth was aware the Japanese did not have radar and assumed he could engage with the enemy by surprise. The Japanese, however, had the ability to detect the electric impulses of the U.S. radar system. As a consequence the Japanese were expecting an attack and launched a salvo of long range torpedoes prior to the leading Allied destroyers launching their torpedoes. After the launching of the torpedoes the “Tokyo Express” turned away to regroup. At a range of 10,000 yards (9,100 m), Japanese light cruiser Jintsu turned on her searchlight and engaged with Allied destroyer USS Nicholas. Subjected to heavy shellfire Jintsu lost her steerage and came to a dead stop. A number of Allied torpedoes hit Jintsu and she sank with the loss of nearly all her crew. Rear Admiral Shunji Isaki was one of those who died. Leander suffered radio communication damage in the exchange of shellfire. In the meantime several Japanese torpedoes were spotted and the Allied ships took evasive action. Visibility was reduced by thick gun-smoke and several ships turned to avoid collision. During this manoeuvre, with the loss of radio communications, Leander was hit by a Japanese torpedo and severely damaged. She retired from the battle escorted by two U.S. destroyers. During the course of the battle confusion, Allied reconnaissance informed Ainsworth the Japanese destroyers were withdrawing north along the Kula Gulf and the troop carrying destroyers were withdrawing along the Kolombangara coastline. In the confusion this enabled all the Japanese destroyers to reload their torpedoes. Ainsworth was uncertain which ships were friendly and which were the enemy when the radar was re-established. The whole battle location was illuminated when star-shells were fired which showed the enemy withdrawing. Manoeuvring to starboard as planned the U.S. light cruisers main gun batteries were employed, but they sailed into the path of the Japanese first torpedo salvo. Two light cruisers USS St. Louis and USS Honolulu were hit by torpedoes, but although damaged they were still able to continue the battle. Heavy damage was inflicted on destroyer USS Gwin and with the loss of 61 sailors killed following the torpedo attack. Eventually Gwin was scuttled and the surviving crew were rescued by destroyer USS Ralph Talbot. Following the battle, Ainsworth requested Allied air support for his withdrawal to Tulagi. 1,200 Japanese troops were landed on the western shore of Kolombangara. With exception of the loss of Jintsu and 482 men killed, the remaining Japanese ships escaped any damage or troop losses. The Americans had one destroyer sunk, three light cruisers damaged, one of which was badly damaged, and 89 sailors killed. Technically the Japanese were the victors. However, that was about to change as they continued their nightly attacks during the remainder of July into August 1943.

(Other Theatres)

Exiled Polish General Wladyslaw Sikorski was killed on the 4^th July1943. His Liberator aircraft crashed into the sea 16 seconds after take-off from Gibraltar Airport. Sikorski was a Polish military and political leader who reached the rank of Lieutenant General. His political career began in 1921 when he was appointed Chief of the Polish General Staff. Following the assassination of the President of Poland Gabriel Narutowicz in December 1922, Sikorski was appointed the 19^th Prime Minister of Poland. His tenure as Prime Minister ended in May 1923 when the government resigned. The resignation followed Jozef Pitsudski’s coup and the installation of the semi-dictatorial Sanacja government. Whilst serving as Prime Minister he was popular with the Polish public. He also gained the approval of the League of Nations for carrying out essential reforms and guiding the country’s foreign policy, especially the tightening of Polish/French cooperation. The reforms were curtailing inflation, reformation of the currency and supporting ethnic minorities. Whilst serving as Prime Minister, Sikorski was still a member of the military. Between 1924 &1925 he was appointed the Minister of Military Affairs who activated the modernisation of the Polish military. He also worked hard at promoting an alliance between the Polish and French military. From 1925 to 1928 he commanded the Military Corp District VI in Lwow. In 1926, as a democrat and supporter of the Sejm (lower house of parliament of Poland) he declared his opposition to the Sanacja government. He remained in Lwow and did not play any significant role until he was finally relieved of his command by Pitsudski in 1928. In due course he joined the anti-Pitsudski opposition group and largely withdrew from politics. He spent much of his time writing books on military affairs or in Paris working with the French war college. In 1929 he joined the ‘Front Morges’, an anti-Sanacja political group, along with several other prominent Polish politicians. Prior to and during the German invasion of Poland in September 1939 Sikorski’s request for a military command was denied by the Polish commander-in-chief Marshall Rydz-Smigly. Knowing his services were not required in Poland, he escaped through Romania to Paris. On the 28^th September 1939 he joined two other politicians as a Polish government -in-exile. He took command of the newly formed Polish Armed Forces in France. Polish President Wladyslaw Raczkiewicz requested he serve as the first Polish prime minister-in-exile on the 30^th September 1939. He also became commander-in-chief and Polish Minister of Military Affairs from the 7^th November 1939. During his time as prime minister in exile his government was recognised by the Western Allies. He struggled to secure resources needed to create the Polish Army in exile. In June 1940 Sikorski met with British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and promised that Polish forces would fight alongside the British until final victory following the fall of France. Sikorski and his government moved to London where the Polish forces formed one of the most significant squadrons of the RAF. Polish pilots distinguished themselves during the Battle of Britain. He visited many Allied countries, in the diplomatic field, to advance the Polish cause. In late May 1943 Sikorski began visiting Polish forces in the Middle East. On the 4^th July1943 he was returning from such a visit when he was killed, alongside his daughter, his chief of staff and seven others. His Liberator aircraft crashed into the sea 16 seconds after take-off from Gibraltar Airport. The pilot survived the crash which was attributed to cargo shifting to the back during take-off.

America had been trying to obtain a long-range bomber with the capability of flying from Hawaii and back to attack the Japanese in the Pacific theatre. On the 23^rd July 1943 the USAAF ordered 100 of the undeveloped Convair B-36 Peacemaker bombers. The specification was for a range of 10,000 miles (16,000 km) and pay-load of 10,000 lb (4,000 kg) and cruising height of 25,000 ft. Even before the U.S. entered the war the B-36 concept was foreseen. By ordering the aircraft, development was increased but unfortunately by the time the B-36 was ready the war had ended. However, the U.S. did have the Boeing B-29 “Superfortress” and B-17 “Flying Fortress” heavy bombers but they did not have the ability for long range.

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Air Raid Damage Reports Brentwood Division Essex Fire Service May 1943.

May31

Date Time Location Damage

03/05/1943 07.10 Bowers A German Aircraft (believed Junkers 88) crashed

Gifford in a field adjoining Sadlers Farm 3 of the crew were killed and found in wreckage 2 bailed out and were captured.

10/05/1943 Found Little A deflated Barrage Balloon grounded in Johnson’s

Wakering Field, Little Wakering. No damage or casualties.

14/05/1943 02.00 Ashingdon 2 – UX.A.A. Shells found on 16.5.43 on Ashingdon

Farm (1) 200 yards South of Ashingdon Church (2) 200 yards East of Main Road Ashingdon. (Disposed of BDS 23.6.43).

14/05/1943 02.35 Fambridge 1 – Ux. A.A. Shell fell 700 yards N.E. of Fambridge

Hall and 1 – A.A. Shell exploded 500 yards N.E. of Fambridge Hall (Disposed of BDS 24.6.43).

16/05/1943 Hullbridge An A.A. Shell exploded in cornfield at junction of

Hullbridge Road and Lower Road Hullbridge. No casualties or damage.

16/05/1943 Brentwood 1 – A.A. Shell exploded in churchyard 5 yards

South of St Thomas’ Church. No casualties or damage.

17/05/1943 00.35 Langdon 1 – Ux. A.A. Shell fell in Milton Avenue. No

Hills casualties or damage. Milton Avenue (unmade & unclassified) closed to traffic.

17/05/1943 01.00 Ingrave 1 – H.E. exploded in a field at rear of Willow Farm.

No casualties or damage.

18/05/1943 02.30 Rayleigh An Auxiliary Petrol tank containing a small amount

of petrol fell from an enemy aircraft and was found in the undergrowth at junction of Louise and Helena Road.

19/05/1943 08.15 Brentwood 1 – H.E. exploded in a meadow on Calcotts Farm,

20 yards from Sandpit Lane. No casualties or damage.

20/05/1943 02.10 South 1 – Ux. A.A. Shell fell in garden of “Nomville”

Benfleet Thundersley Park Road. No casualties or damage. (Disposed of BDS 3.6.43).

30/05/1943 Found South 1 – Ux.H.E. which is believed to have fallen

Benfleet sometime during 1940 was found in the garden of at rear of “Robert Malcolm Road South Benfleet. (Disposed of BDS 8.6.43).

OPERATION CHASTISE – “THE DAMBUSTERS RAIDS”

May17

617 Squadron, RAF Bomber Command, carried out an attack on several German dams on the night of 16^th /17^th May 1943. The attack on the Ruhr valley dams was called Operation Chastise but was commonly known as “The Dambusters Raids” andwas carried out by using special “bouncing bombs”. Barnes Wallace was an English scientist, engineer and inventor, who designed and developed the bombs whilst being employed by Vickers-Armstrong Aircraft Co. RAF Bomber Command thought large bombs would be effective but a weapon suitable for this task was not available nor the necessary degree of accuracy to achieve this. The concept of bouncing an object over the surface of water was a well-known phenomenon and this theory was taken up as the project. Wallis’ experiments proved that a smaller spinning barrel shaped bomb would suffice providing it exploded against the dam wall below the water line. Originally the preferred aircraft was to be the Vickers Wellington bomber, but was changed when the first modified Avro Lancaster bombers became available. Testing the bomb at Chesil Beach in Dorset often proved to be unsuccessful, but after many modifications a decision was reached as regards to the releasing of the bomb from the aircraft. With Air Ministry approval, thirty Lancaster bombers were allocated for the mission. A new squadron was formed and led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson, a veteran of over 170 bombing and night fighter raids. Twenty one bomber crews were selected and they were stationed at RAF Scampton in Lincolnshire. The crews practised low-level flying in the dark whilst the bombers were being modified to allow the mission to proceed in May 1943. The water levels at the dams were at their highest allowing any breach of the dam to cause the most damage. The targets selected were the Möhne and Sorpe Dams with the Eder Dam as a secondary target. The attack comprised three separate formations departing Scampton on the night of the 16^th/17^th May 1943 following two separate routes. Both routes were timed to allow the formations to cross the enemy coast at the same time. Formation N^o 1 comprised of nine aircraft, led by Gibson, taking off in groups of three for the attack on the shorter route for the raid on the Möhne Dam. Any aircraft with bombs remaining would continue on to attack the Eder Dam. Formation N^o 2 was to fly the longer route to the Sorpe Dam and consisted of five aircraft. Formation N^o 3 was a five aircraft mobile reserve leaving Scampton at midnight on the 16^th/17^th May 1943. Of the twenty one aircrew of 617 Squadron two were unable to fly the mission owing to illness.

When Formation N^o 2 reached the enemy coastline they suffered the first casualties of the raids. Flt. Lt. Les Munro (RNZAF) lost his radio to flak and turned back to base. Whilst flying at low altitude of 100 ft. (30 m) to avoid radar detection, P/O Geoff Rice (RCAF) flew too low and struck the sea. He recovered but lost his bomb to the water. He also returned to base. P/O Vernon Byers (RCAF) was shot down by flak and Flt. Lt. Norman Barlow (RAAF) hit an electricity pylon and crashed. The bomb was thrown clear of the crash and eventually examined by the Germans. The only aircraft of Formation N^o 2 to reach its target was piloted by American Flt. Lt. Joe McCarthy (serving with the RCAF). He had been delayed when his bomber developed a coolant problem and he finally took off in a reserve aircraft 34 minutes late. The only other bomber which did not reach its target was piloted by Flt. Lt. Bill Astell (RAAF) from Formation N^o 1. His Lancaster hit high voltage electrical cables in the dark and crashed in a field.

Upon arrival at the Möhne Dam, Gibson, leader of Formation N^o 1 made the first attack. His bomb exploded short of the dam, but he went around again to draw anti-aircraft fire away from the second bomber to attack. The second bomber was piloted by Flt. Lt. John Hopgood (RAF) who released his bomb which bounced over the dam wall. Whilst attacking the bomber was shot down by flak and only two crew members survived. Australian Flt. Lt. “Micky” Martin (serving with the RAF) piloted the third Lancaster and Gibson flew alongside to draw the flak away from Martin’s bomber. Martin’s bomb successfully exploded against the dam wall, but did not breach it. The next bomber, piloted by Sqd. Ldr. “Dinghy” Young (RAF) made a successful attack, followed by Flt. Lt. David Maltby (RAAF) whose bomb breached the dam.

Gibson, accompanied by Young, led the remaining bombers on to the Eder Dam. The dam was not defended by anti-aircraft guns as the surrounding hills were thought to make an attack impossible. The attack was hindered by heavy mist, but the first to attack was Flt. Lt. Dave Shannon (RAAF) who made six attempts before taking a break. An attack by Sqd. Ldr, Henry Maudsley (RAF) resulting in the bomb hitting the top of the dam, the blast of which damaged the Lancaster. On the return to England, Maudsley’s aircraft was shot down. Shannon resumed his attack and successfully hit the dam wall, but failed to breach it. The dam wall was breached following a successful attack by the last bomber piloted by P/O Les Knight (RAAF). Of the nine crews who attacked the Möhne and Eder Dams only five returned to England.

The Sorpe Dam was the least likely dam to be breached. Rather than the concrete and steel gravity dams of the Möhne and Eder Dams, the Sorpe was a large earthen dam. Of N^o 2 Formation, for various reasons, McCarthy piloted the only Lancaster to attack the dam. The other four aircraft of the formation either had to return to base or crashed on the outward journey. Aircraft of N^o 3 Formation were diverted to the Sorpe Dam of which only three of the five arrived near the target owing to misty conditions. One Lancaster piloted by Flt.Sgt. Anderson (RAF) couldn’t find the target and returned to Scampton and landed with the armed bomb on board. The other two were shot down on the outward journey. The only other Lancaster to actually attack the Sorpe Dam was piloted by Flt. Sgt. Ken Brown (RCAF) from N^o 3 Formation. Coming from different directions, both he and McCarthy attacked separately. They both realised the approach was more difficult than anticipated due to the topography of the land. As expected the approach for the attack was along the length of the reservoir. The flight path led over a church steeple located on a hillside overlooking the dam. They then had to drop to bombing height, release the bomb and rapidly climb to avoid hitting the hillside at the other end of the dam. For the attack on the Sorpe Dam the bomb was not required to spin, as it was intended to hit the wall and explode. It took McCarthy nine attempted runs until finally the bomb was successfully dropped on the tenth run. The bomb exploded causing some damage but the wall remained intact. Later, on the eighth attempt Brown’s bomb exploded on the dam wall but failed to breach the dam wall.

The last Lancaster of No 3 Formation, piloted by Flt.Sgt. Townsend (RAF) flew on to attack the Ennepe Dam and hit the target but to no apparent effect.

On the return journey, still flying at low level, two more Lancaster bombers were lost. After attacking the Möhne Dam and hitting the target and causing a small breach, Sqd. Ldr. H.M,Young’s aircraft was shot down over the Dutch coast,

Eleven aircraft began to land back at Scampton, about 3.00am with the final one arriving at 6.15am. The reason being they had to close down one engine whilst over the Dutch coast. Sir Arthur Harris, head of Bomber Command was among the dignitaries to greet the last crew to land, Harris originally opposed the allocation of the Lancaster’s but was over-ruled by Air Chief Marshall Charles Portal, Chief of the Air Staff.

The breaching of the Möhne and Eder Dams caused catastrophic damage to the Rhone Valley. Two hydroelectric power stations were destroyed and a further two were damaged. Mines and factories were either destroyed or damaged. German production did not resume until Sept 1943 despite rapid repairs. The flooding killed an estimated 1,600 civilians, 600 of whom were Germans and the remaining 1,000 were mainly Soviet forced labourers. The RAF lost 53 aircrew killed and two captured and eight Lancaster’s destroyed.

Of the survivors, 34 were decorated at Buckingham Palace on the 22^nd June 1943. Gibson was awarded the Victoria Cross (VC). In addition there were five Distinguished Service Orders (DSO), ten Distinguished Flying Crosses (DFC) and four bars, two Conspicuous Gallantry Medals (CGM) and one Distinguished Flying Medals (DFM) and one bar.

Apart from the morale the Raids gave to the British civilians, they forced the Germans to divert their construction efforts back into Germany. They had to forfeit the continuation of the civil engineering projects in the land war in both the Eastern and Western Fronts.

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FOOT NOTE!!

All 617 Squadron aircrews were part of the Royal Air Force (RAF) and consisted of:-

Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF)

Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF)

Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF)

The ranks of the pilots were:-

Squadron Leader (Sqd. Ldr.)

Flight Lieutenant (Flt. Lt.)

Flight Sergeant (Flt. Sgt.)

Pilot Officer (P/O)

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SECOND WORLD WAR May 1943

May4

(Britain)

Nineteen Lancaster bombers from the newly formed 617 Squadron took off from their base at RAF Scampton on the night of 16^th/17^th May 1943. Originally the plan was for twenty-one bombers to fly but two were withdrawn owing to illness amongst their crews. The mission was to attack the industrial area of the Ruhr valley in Germany. Officially known as Operation Chastise or more commonly referred to as “The Dambusters Raid”, their aim was to breach the Möhne and Sorpe Dams. Any aircraft with bombs remaining would continue on to attack the Eder Dam. Two separate formations were required, one consisting of nine bombers led by Wing Commander Guy Gibson, was to attack the Möhne Dam. The second formation, consisting of five bombers, was to attack the Sorpe Dam. American Flt. Lt. Joe McCarthy (serving with the RCAF) was the only member of the second formation to actually attack the Sorpe Dam, three of the reserve formation also attacked the Sorpe Dam. McCarthy, of the second formation, was late taking off owing to an engine cooling problem. He switched to a reserve aircraft and took off 34 minutes late for his attack on the Sorpe Dam. The four remaining bombers of the second formation either had to return to base or were shot down on the outward journey. Five additional Lancaster bombers flew as a reserve formation in readiness to assist where needed.

The “Dambusters Raid” concept was to use a special bouncing bomb designed by Barnes Wallace, an English scientist and engineer. The raids were different to most bombing raids, in as much that the planes would be flying below 100 ft. (30 m) over water and in the darkness of night.

Only eight of Gibson’s nine Lancaster bombers designated to attack the Möhne Dam, reached the target, one having been shot down on the outward journey. Five of the eight aircraft attacked the dam before it was finally breached. Gibson and the following two crews failed to hit the target. The forth hit the structure and the fifth finally breached the dam. The three bombers which had released their bombs returned to England but two failed to arrive.

Gibson and Sqd, Ldr, “Dinghy” Young, who had also attacked the Möhne Dam, led the remaining three Lancaster bombers on to the Eder Dam. The hills surrounding the Eder Dam were thought, by the Germans, to make an attack impossible and therefore was undefended. After numerous attempts in the misty conditions the dam was successfully breached. One of the aircraft was shot down on the return journey. Of the nine crews who attacked the Möhne and Eder Dams only five returned to England. One was lost on the outward journey, one whilst attacking the dam and two on the homeward journey.

The Sorpe Dam had a different construction, Instead of a concrete and steel dam wall it had an earthen retaining wall. The five reserve bombers of the third formation were diverted to the Sorpe Dam. Two of the five were shot down on the outward journey, and one couldn’t find the target because of mist and flew back to Scampton and landed with the bomb still on board. Of the two remaining bombers, one attacked the Sorpe Dam piloted by Flt. Sgt. Ken Brown (RCAF), who attacked the dam at a separate time from McCarthy. Upon reaching the Sorpe Dam both the two attackers found the approach attack more difficult than was expected. McCarthy released his bomb on his tenth approach, like-wise Young on his eighth approach against the undefended dam. The last Lancaster piloted by Flt. Sgt. Townsend (RAF) flew on to Ennepe Dam and hit the target but failed to breach the dam.

On the return journey two more Lancaster bombers were lost despite flying at low level. The first of the surviving eleven aircraft landed at Scampton at approximately 3.00 am and the final one landing at 6.15 am with engine problems. Of the eleven who returned safely, three had not attacked any targets.

Eight RAF Lancaster bombers were destroyed, 53 airmen killed and two captured. The breaching of the two dams caused catastrophic damage which disrupted German production until September 1943. Approximately 1,600 civilians were killed, 600 German and 1,000 mainly Soviet slave labourers.

Fifty three decorations were awarded to the survivors of whom Gibson was awarded the Victoria Cross.

For further information see the separate article “The Dambusters Raid – Operation Chastise”.

—

As part of the Ruhr Valley bomber offensive by RAF Bomber Command, the night time attack on the city of Wuppertal on the 29^th May 1943 was particularly heavy. 719 British bombers, guided by their Pathfinder markers located the Barmen half of Wuppertal. They dropped 1,500 tons of bombs on the chemical works which rapidly turned into a firestorm. Being a Saturday night only emergency fire officials were in attendance, and they were totally unprepared and ill equipped for the developing fires in the narrow streets. 90% of the town was destroyed and approximately 2,500 people, mostly civilians, died in the firestorms.

(Atlantic)

On the 24^th May1943 Karl Dönitz ordered the U-boats operating in the mid-Atlantic to withdraw from the area. When Dönitz replaced Erich Raeder as Commander-in-Chief of the German Navy and Grand Admiral of the Naval High Command in January 1943 the U-boats enjoyed success in attacking Allied convoys. However, by March 1943 the Allies employed new techniques, tactics and technology, which began to stem the tide. By May 1943 three separate convoys were attacked and the battles reached a climax. Long range Liberator bombers and radar assisted aircraft carrier escorts began to decimate the U-boat fleet. With the suppression of the U-boat operation it brought an end to the period known as Black May. Dönitz did continue to use U-boats in the Atlantic but in far smaller numbers. The Allies still needed to combat the smaller U-boat threat. This denied the Allies the opportunity for their escort aircraft to attack Germany direct

(North Africa

The Axis Army had withdrawn to Tunisia after the Battle of El Agheila ended in December 1942. What remained of the Axis Army following the “Palm Sunday Massacre” and Operation Flax in April 1943 halted and held the high peaks known as “Longstop Hill”. The Allies were in pursuit and engaged in conflict at “Longstop Hill” where they attacked and counter-attacked. By the end of April/early May Allied Churchill tanks had negotiated the slopes of “Longstop Hill” and secured the barrier blocking the advance to Tunis. British armour captured Tunis on the 7^th May 1943 taking the Axis forces by surprise. On the same day the Americans advanced and took Bizerte, located to the east of Tunis. By the 15^th May 1943, with all their forces cut off, the Axis army surrendered. 250,000 Axis troops were taken prisoner and Nazi leaders admitted the defeat was on the same scale as the disaster of the Battle of Stalingrad.

(Eastern Front)

The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising officially ended on the 16^th May 1943 when the Jews housed within the ghetto were finally suppressed. In 1939 when Germany invaded and occupied Poland they began to concentrate over three million Jews into crowded ghettos in large Polish cities. Warsaw was the largest with approximately 300,000-400,000 Jews packed into an area of 3.3 km² in the city centre. By the time the uprising began on the 19^th April 1943 approximately 254,000-300,000 residents had either died of disease and starvation or mass deportations to the Treblinka extermination camp. The Germans began another round of deportations of the Jews on the 18^th January 1943 which led to a revolt being planned by the remaining Jews. Two resistance groups had joined together to support the remaining Jewish population, knowing they couldn’t win against the Germans but were determined to fight. The left-wing Jewish Combat Organisation and the right-wing Jewish Military Union engaged the Germans in direct clashes. They suffered heavy losses and inflicted casualties on the Germans which resulted in the halting of Jewish deportations. The main Jewish Uprising began on the 19th April 1943, on the eve of Passover. German police and S.S. auxiliary forces entered the ghetto and were confronted by the Jewish resistance. The uprising finally ended on the 16^th May 1943 when SS-Brigadeführer Jürgen Stroop personally pushed the button to demolish the Great Synagogue of Warsaw. During the uprising, 13,000 Jews were killed, of whom 6,000 died from smoke inhalation or were burnt alive. Almost all of the remaining 56,000 residents were captured and deported to Treblinka. During the uprising the Germans suffered losses of 17 killed and 93 wounded.

Josef Mengele was a German Schutzstaffel (S.S.) officer and physician who was known as the “Angel of Death”. On the 24^th May 1943 he was appointed as Chief Medical Officer in Auschwitz Concentration Camp. Prior to the war, Mengele had qualified as a doctor specialising in Hereditary Biology and Racial Hygiene. In 1937 he joined the Nazi Party. In 1942 having been posted to the Ukraine, he joined the 5^th SS Panzer Division Wiking as battalion medical officer. He was seriously wounded, and upon recovery, was deemed unfit for active service and eventually transferred to Auschwitz. As chief medical officer he was responsible for overseeing who were to be workers for the regime, with the remaining Jews sent to the gas chambers. He was also responsible for horrific experiments on Jews who were operated on without the aid of anaesthetics. At the end of the war he managed to leave Auschwitz ahead of the Soviet Army. By various means he was able to relocate in Argentina but died in Brazil in 1979.

(Pacific)

As part of the Aleutian Island Campaign, the Island of Attu off the west coast of the Territory of Alaska, was one of the strategic links between the North American and European Continents. The Territory of Alaska was purchased from the Russians by the Americans in October 1867. The island is located in the North Pacific Ocean and south of the Berring Sea. The Battle of Attu was fought from the 11^th to 30^th May 1943 between American and Canadian invaders and Japanese defenders. Six months after America entered the war the Japanese National Army landed unopposed on Attu in June 1942. The U.S. military were aware whomever controlled the Aleutian Islands had access to America’s west coast for air attacks. By the 11^th May 1943, 2,900 Japanese Imperial Army troops were entrenched in defensive positions when the 7^th U.S. Infantry Divisions made their amphibious attack on the island. Canadian reconnaissance and fighter-bomber support assisted the U.S. Army. The Japanese were subjected to heavy naval bombardments but despite this they remained entrenched. When the 15,000 U.S. troops landed, Arctic weather conditions hindered their progress. However, after two weeks of fighting the Americans had pushed the Japanese defenders back to a small area around Chichagof Harbour. On the 30^th May 1943 the Japanese army, led by Colonel Yasuyo Yamasaki, made a surprise banzai charge where they broke through the American front line positions. Rear line U.S. troops were fighting hand-to-hand combat with Japanese forces as a consequence. The battle for the island ended with the death of most of the Japanese soldiers including Yamasaki. In the meantime, the Japanese navy had assembled a fleet in Tokyo Bay to recapture Attu. Before they were ready to depart, the Americans had secured the island. The Americans lost 549 troops killed and more than 1,200 injured. The Japanese lost 2,872 men killed and 28 were taken prisoner. The loss of the Aleutian Islands combined with the death if Admiral Isoroko Yamamoto in April 1943, had a demoralising effect on the Japanese High Command. However, Japanese propaganda attempted to present Aleutian Island campaign as an inspirational epic to compensate for the loss of Yamamoto.

(Other Theatres)

The Trident Conference began in Washington D.C. on the 12^th May 1943 and lasted until the 25^th May 1943. The conference was a strategic meeting between British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Also at the meeting were the heads of government of the United Kingdom and the United States.

The two leaders met every other day at the White House but the British and American military leaders met daily. On the 17^th May 1943 Churchill addressed the U.S. Congress and the subject of the discussions were:-

(A) The Italian Campaign

He persuaded the American leaders to endorse the Allied invasion of Sicily which would force the Germans to release troops from the eastern front. By fighting in and removing Italy from the war would reduce the Allies debt to the Soviet Union.

(B) Extent of military force

Both Britain and America agreed maximum military force should be used against Germany ending in their defeat at the end of 1944. They would then concentrate on defeating Japan in 1945.

To enable the Allies to successfully invade Europe they would need to build up troop strength and produce more equipment. For this reason the Normandy Landings were to be postponed until May 1944.

(D) Aid to China

The only practical way to assist China would be to relieve Burma. Air attacks rather than ground attacks were considered to be best option owing to the problems of jungle warfare.

The outcome of the conference was that America would become the world’s leader. Previously Britain had been the world leader.

—

In May 1943 the French people in Vichy-France formed a resistance movement. During January 1943 two major resistance groups were persuaded to unite to form the United Resistance Movement. It took time for the Marquis and the Milice groups to integrate. The Marquis were from the island Corsica, off the south coast of France, and renowned for their isolation. The Milice wereFrench gendarmes who were enemies of the Marquis, who desperately wanted to eliminate them. Following the defeat at Stalingrad, many gendarmes began to doubt an Axis victory and were unwilling to hunt down the Marquis. When the National Council of the Resistance was formed on the 26^th May 1943 resistance activities began to become more co-ordinated.

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Air Raid Damage Reports Brentwood Division Essex Fire Service April 1943.

May4

Date Time Location Damage

04/04/1943 07.00 Ashingdon A drifting Barrage Balloon became entangled with

overhead electric cables in Lincoln Road and was later removed by the RAF.

06/04/1943 Found Langdon 1 – unexploded A.A. Shell 30 yards South of

Hills “Roselle” Lee Chapel Lane. (Disposed of BDS 13.4.43).

15/04/1943 00.25 Laindon 1 – A.A. Shell on Arterial Road 400 yards West of

Fortune of War crossroads. No casualties. Slight damage to road traffic not affected.

15/04/1943 00.30 Mountnessing 3 – A.A. Shells exploded in fields, 1 at

Woodlands Farm. No damage or casualties, 1 at Copeman’s Poultry Farm, no casualties slight damage to property, 1 at Jordan’s Farm. No casualties or damage.

15/04/1943 00.35 Rayleigh 5 – P.H.I.Bs exploded in High Road, No casualties.

2 houses badly damaged.

15/04/1943 00.35 Thundersley 1 – unexploded A.A. Shell fell in ploughed field 100

yards North of junction of Manor Road and Woodmans Avenue.

15/04/1943 00.40 Rayleigh 2 – P.H.I.Bs exploded in back garden of “High

Gables” Rayleigh Downs Road. No casualties or damage.

15/04/1943 00.45 Rayleigh 5 – P.H.I.Bs exploded in fields at Lynwood

Nurseries 200 yards North of the junction of Daws Heath Road and Arterial Road No casualties or damage.

15/04/1943 00.45 Billericay 1 – A.A. Shell exploded in the grounds of the

Isolation Hospital. No casualties or damage.

15/04/1943 00.45 Canewdon 1 – H.E. exploded near Canewdon Hall 3/4 mile

North of Canewdon Church.

15/04/1943 00.45 Wickford 1 – unexploded P.H.I.B. fell in Thorn’s Market

Castle Yard. No casualties or damage. (Disposed of BDS 23.4.43).

15/04/1943 00.45 Paglesham 1 – A.A. Shell exploded 100 yards S.E. of Punch

Bowl P.H. No casualties. Damage to electric light standard.

15/04/1943 00.45 Great 1 – Unexploded A.A. Shell fell at Mills Head

Wakering Brickfields No damage or casualties.

15/04/1943 00.45 Wickford 2 – PH.I.Bs fell in the roadway, 1 in roadway and 1

in Market Road. A.29 was closed. BDS removed bombs and the road was opened.

15/04/1943 00.45 Great 1 – A.A. Shell exploded in a field 200 yards S.E. of

Burstead Great Burstead Junior Schools. No casualties or damage.

15/04/1943 00.45 Rayleigh 1 – Paramine exploded 100 yards N.E. of Gooses

Cottages, Raweth 2 serious casualties and 18 houses damaged. Telephone wires down and 1 paramine exploded in field 500 yards E. of Companion Garage Raweth, 600 yards from 1st mine. No casualties or damage.

15/04/1943 00.45 Rayleigh 1 – H.E. exploded in a field 160 yards from Shot

Corner, Rayleigh. No casualties slight damage to property.

15/04/1943 00.45 Rayleigh 1 – H.E. exploded in a field S W of Chichester Hall

Farm Rayleigh. No casualties, slight damage to property.

15/04/1943 00.45 Rayleigh 1 – H.E. exploded at rear of house 70 yards East of

Eastwood Road. No casualties. 1 house seriously damaged.

15/04/1943 00.45 Rayleigh 1 – PH.I.B. exploded on footpath between Bowles

Nursery Eastwood Road and Lynwood Nursery, Arterial Road. No casualties or damage.

15/04/1943 00.45 Rayleigh 5 – Unexploded H.E. fell in field 225 yards North of

junction of London Road and Victoria Avenue. No casualties or damage. (Disposed of BDS 10.5.43).

15/04/1943 00.45 Rayleigh 1 – Paramine exploded in Alpha Nurseries at

junction of Helena and Louie Road. 3 casualties of whom 1 was fatal. Extensive damage to approximately 60 houses.

15/04/1943 01.00 Wickford 6 – H.Es exploded forming camouflets, 1

unexploded H.E. and 1 Spregbrand fell in garden of a house in Wick Lane. No casualties or damage (Disposed of BDS 4.7.43).

15/04/1943 01.15 Thundersley 1 – Unexploded A.A. Shell fell at Common

Approach. No casualties or damage. (Disposed of BDS 8.5.43).

15/04/1943 01.15 Wickford 1 – H.E. exploded 200 yards N of Shot Farmhouse

1 serious casualty. Slight damage to property.

15/04/1943 01.37 Hutton 1 – A.A. Shell exploded in garden of house in

Roundwood Avenue. No damage or casualties.

15/04/1943 01.45 Wickford 1 – PH.I.B. unexploded in Market Avenue. No

casualties or damage. (Disposed of BDS 24.4.43).

15/04/1943 01.45 Wickford 1 – H.E exploded in a field 500 yards East of Shot

Farm. No casualties. Damage to overhear electric cables.

15/04/1943 01.45 Wickford 1 – PH.I.B. unexploded fell on Thorn’s Market

Castle Yard. No casualties or damage. (Disposed of BDS 23.4.43).

15/04/1943 01.45 Wickford 8 – UX.H.E fell in a field on N side of Wickford

Senior School. No casualties or damage, school closed, re-opened 30.4.43. (Disposed of BDS 23.4.43).

15/04/1943 01.45 Wickford 1 – UX. PH.I.B fell in Harvey’s Market off High

Street Wickford. No casualties or damage. (Disposed of BDS 23.4.43).

15/04/1943 01.45 Wickford 2 – Unexploded PH.I.Bs fell and buried themselves

in shelters at the Senior School, Wickford. No casualties.

16/04/1943 13.15 Hutton An unexploded 1000 kg H.E. was being burned by

BDA in the Bomb Cemetery, Hanging Hill Lane, when it exploded causing damage to roofs and windows of approximately 42 houses but no casualties.

17/04/1943 00.20 Crays Hill 1 – H.E. exploded in a field 500 yards North of

Gurnard’s Farm. No casualties or damage. Damages to property slight.

17/04/1943 00.40 Dunton 1 – H.E. exploded in a field 100 yards North of

Salvation Army Colony. No casualties or damage.

17/04/1943 18.27 Doddinghurst A Barrage Balloon grounded at Red House

Poultry Farm. No casualties or damage, RAF informed.

17/04/1943 Found Basildon A German Auxiliary Petrol tank in a meadow 150

yards South of the junction of Honeypot Lane and Rectory Road.

17/04/1943 Unknown Basildon An Auxiliary petrol tank, bearing the markings “C-

R.E.C.H.T.S. 2717″ 6 feet long and 21 inches in diameter fell from an enemy plane and was found in Church Road, 100 yards South of the junction of Church Road and Rectory Road and taken to Pitsea Police Station.

17/04/1943 Found Basildon A German Auxiliary Petrol tank in a meadow 150

yards South of the junction of Honeypot Lane and Rectory Road.

26/04/1943 12.00 Nevendon A Meteorological instrument, No. “C.2033” with

parachute attached, was found in a field 200 yards East of Tye Corner, Cranfield Park Road.

27/04/1943 Found Vange An Ux. H.E. 30 yards South of Clay Hill opposite

Middlehall Road. Believed to have fallen 17.9.40 (Disposed of BDS 20.5.43).

29/04/1943 01.30 Downham 2 – UX.H.E fell in a meadow 1/2 mile N.E. of

Fremnell Farm. No casualties or damage. No alert in operation (Disposed of BDS. 1 disposed of 22.5.43).

Notebook of Peter Carr Benham April 1943

May4

Thursday 1^st April

After B’fast stroll on deck sea getting’ a bit rough – read, wrote and Xword ‘til lunch time – Finished ‘The 1000^th Chase’ by G Delmot – now on ‘The Knight on Wheels’ Ian Hay again. Slept and read after lunch. Bath and Chess with Bill Dugdale before dinner – after dinner races – Our horse won. Bill and I also had 3 winners – shared the tote ticket – Won £1 net – walk on deck at 10 pm shades of return from Zoute without the essential thing – bed at 10.30.

Friday 2^nd April

After b’fast finished a Knight on Wheels and took out ‘Queen Anne Boleyn’ – good. Played patience most of the morning. After lunch read and slept ‘til 4.45 – bath – round guns and stroll round deck before dinner. After dinner 2 games of chess, 2 of draughts and 1 backgammon – bed at 10.30 and after reading got off to sleep about midnight.

Saturday 3 April

Walk on deck after b’fast and then played patience until 11 am when I was asked to play 21 – started with 5/5 and when the lunch time bugle was sounded at 1 ocl had 36/9 – won 31/4^d – v lucky numerous 5 and unders, 21s etc. After lunch a little deck curling with Bill, Tony Martin and Shuerham. Sleep from 3 – 4.30 and then a good hot bath – before dinner chess and draughts with Bill. After dinner had long chat with Curtis who commanded a Coy at Tilbury (?) in the Essex (HD) Bn – nice chap.

Sunday 4 April

Up in the lounge from 12 – 4 this am – Clocks put on an hour at 12 ocl. Up at 8 am and had to shave after b’fast as I missed the water. Played patience most of morning and made a few notes etc. After lunch chat with Sgts re the various tips they had written out. Sleep from 3 – 4.30 – hot bath – packed and had dinner at 7. After dinner walk on deck and then looked in at the concert – another walk – bed at 12 ocl – Saw the, or rather a N of Ireland lighthouse at about 9.30 pm.

Remainder of Diary written from memory 1993!

Monday 5 April (1943)

Docked Gourock during night up early and left Nea Hellas on pinnace – towering Queen Mary painted grey at anchor – someone on pinnace called out that Customs had not cleared us – nearly lynched! I had several 1000 State Express 3 5s in suitcase – phoned Colchester 2116 from station – Mother could not believe it was me – told me he was in North Africa! Asked to speak to Eileen – said not here haven’t you heard in WRAF for a month at Gloucester! Caught train about 5 pm from Liverpool St – dining car met Uncle Ernest in carriage asked about John a POW – tears m’ eyes told me they had heard he was put on submarine (?) which our ships sank and had been drowned – met by Father at North Station collected crate each oranges and lemons and boxes of dates – back 5 Oxford Road about 6.30 pm and v happy telephone conversation with Eileen who could not believe it – moving to Stradishall near Long Melford tomorrow – arranged to meet soonest possible.

End of diary.

SECOND WORLD WAR April 1943

Apr1

(Britain)

On the 15^th April 1943 the Royal Air Force (RAF) conducted a heavy bombing raid against Stuttgart. This raid was the 9^th out of a total of 53 during the course of the war. It was also the 5^th out of 18 joint heavy bombing raids by the RAF and American 8^th Air Force. Stuttgart as a city had significant industrial capacity which included the Daimler and Porsche factories, a rail transport system and several military bases.Stuttgart is spread out in a series of deep valleys which confused and frustrated the Pathfinders of the RAF. On the 15^th April 1943, a total of 462 aircraft attacked the city, consisting of 146 Wellington, 135 Halifax, 98 Lancaster and 83 Stirling bombers. Stuttgart suffered 619 killed, 705 injured and 400 prisoners of war killed. We have not located details of any RAF losses.

In order to disguise the 1943 Allied invasion of Sicily Operation Mincemeat was a successful deception operation. The deception was to convince the Germans that the Allies intended to attack Greece and Sardinia and Sicily was a decoy. With the approval of British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, and military commander of the Mediterranean, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Operation Mincemeat was launched. Two members of British Military Intelligence (MI5) created the character of Captain (Acting Major) William Martin. The body of a tramp who had died after eating rat poison was obtained and dressed up as an officer of the Royal Marines. Placed on the body were his fictional personal details of Martin and in a briefcase was correspondence from two British generals suggesting the decoy. The generals’ correspondence was unofficial, the type which would not be sent by diplomatic courier or encoded signal. It was to be assumed, as a major, Martin would be carrying this correspondence when his aircraft was shot down over water. On the 30^th April 1943 a submarine released the body close to Huelva on the southern coast of Spain. A Spanish fisherman found the body the following morning after it had been washed ashore. The neutral Spanish government took possession of the body and informed the British Admiralty, via the vice-consul of Huelva, that the body had been found. Knowing the Germans had broken the code, pre-scripted messages from the vice-consul and the Admiralty stated it was imperative the vice-consul retrieved the briefcase. On the 1^st May 1943 the vice-consul attended Martin’s post mortem and persuaded the Spanish doctors to bring a verdict of “Drowning at sea” owing to the heat of the day and the smell of the corpse. A death certificate was signed and Major Martin’s body was released and on the 2^nd May 1943 was buried at Huelva Cemetery with full military honours. However, the Spanish navy retained the briefcase. Agents of the German military-intelligence service (Abwehr) were unsuccessful in persuading the Spanish to hand over the briefcase or its contents. The briefcase was forwarded to the Spanish naval headquarters in San Fernando where German sympathisers photographed the contents including the unopened letters. Spanish Naval HQ’s passed the briefcase to Madrid who were persuaded to hand the briefcase over to a senior Abwehr agent. The letters were secretly opened and the contents photographed then re-instated to their envelopes. The most senior Abwehr agent took the copies to Germany. From Madrid, on the 11^th May 1943, the briefcase and contents were returned to Huelva’s vice-consul by the Spanish authorities. The briefcase was forwarded to London in a diplomatic bag. Upon receipt forensic evidence proved the letters had been opened and read, and the vice-consul was duly informed. Another communication was sent to the vice-consul saying the letters had not been opened and this information was leaked to the Spaniards known to be sympathetic to the Germans. The outcome being that German reinforcements were not sent to Sicily but reinforcements were sent to Greece and Salonika.

(Atlantic)

The Battle of the Atlantic was longest running military campaign of the Second World War beginning in 1939 and ending with the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945. The winter weather of January 1943 provided a brief respite from German U-boats in the North Atlantic. By March 1943 there were so many U-boats on patrol in the Atlantic it was difficult to avoid detection. A total of 476,000 tons of aid carried by 82 merchant ships were sunk in March 1943 while the Germans lost 12 U-boats. With supplies running low, especially fuel, there was talk that Britain would not be able to continue the war and contemplated abandoning the convoys completely. Before that point was reached the next few months saw a complete reversal of fortunes. Prior to March 1943 the mid-Atlantic was unreachable by aircraft. British RAF Coastal Command were operating Consolidated B24 Liberator bombers on anti-U-boat patrols during the Battle of the Atlantic. Due to their long range capacity they were the ideal aircraft to undertake surprise attacks on surfaced U-boats in the previously unreachable mid-Atlantic. Towards the end of April 1943, B24 Liberator bombers began operating from both sides of Atlantic. Subsequently the U-boat losses increased and the sinking of Allied merchant ships decreased significantly. During April 1943, 15 U-boats were destroyed for the loss of 39 merchant ships carrying 230,000 tons of aid for Britain.

(Germany)

Radio Berlin was ordered by the Nazi German government, on the 13^th April 1943, to announce the discovery of mass graves in the Katyn Forest of Poland. The propaganda faction of the Nazis did not wish to be held responsible for the graves. Prior to Germany invading Poland in September 1939 they had entered into a pact with the Soviet Union. Once the invasion began the Soviet Union advanced from the east whilst the Germans advanced from the west. In April/May 1940 the Soviet Union carried out the mass execution of 22,000 Polish military officers and civilians in what was known to be the Katyn Massacre. The German/Soviet Union pact ended when Germany invaded the Soviet Union in June 1941. Following the radio announcement Soviet Union dictator Joseph Stalin claimed the Nazis had massacred the Polish officers.

(Eastern Front)

After the invasion and occupation of Poland in 1939 German authorities began to concentrate the three million Jewish population into large Polish cities. The Warsaw Ghetto was the largest and 300.000-400,000 Jews were densely packed into the central area of Warsaw. The Warsaw Ghetto Uprising began on the 19^th April 1943. The sequence of events until the final defeat in May 1943 can be seen by referring to the Eastern Front section of January 1943.

On the 19^th April 1943, three members of the Belgian Resistance attacked the twentieth train convoy transporting Jews to Auschwitz. Following the invasion and occupation of Belgium in May 1940 all Jews were forced to register with the police.

The Belgian Mechelen (Malines) transit camp was chosen for the implementation of the “Final Solution” because it was the hub of the National Railway system. From the 22^nd July 1942, the first convoy train was sent to Auschwitz concentration camp in Poland. Once at Auschwitz the majority of the Jews were transferred to the gas chambers for immediate extermination. The deportations were temporarily halted in October 1942, by which time seventeen convoy trains had deported 16,600 people including Belgian citizens. The deportations resumed in January 1943. The convoy train, Transport N^o 20, was the only time the Belgian resistance halted a train during the course of the war. Transport N^o 20 left Mechelen transit camp on the 19^th April 1943 carrying 1,631 Jewish men, women and children. For the first time freight wagons with barbed wire covering the small windows replaced the previously used third class carriages. A special wagon, the Sonderwagen, was added to the convoy train with 19 Jews (18 men and one woman) who were listed on a Nazi “special list” These consisted of resistance members and ‘jumpers’ from previous transportations. A red cross on the backs of their clothes indicated to the guards they were to be immediately executed upon arrival at Auschwitz. Armed only with one pistol, three members of the Belgian resistance were able to stop the convoy train by using a lantern covered with red paper which acted as a danger signal. Despite being guarded by 16 German soldiers one of the resistance members were able to open a wagon and liberate 17 people. Of the prisoners on the ‘special list’ 3 prisoners escaped from the wagon and a forth was shot. The train driver assisted by maintaining the slowest possible pace allowing 233 people to escape the slow moving convoy train. Of these 89 were recaptured and put on later convoy. Only 118 of the original 233 escapees survived. Of the remaining 1,395 Jews being transported to Auschwitz, 26 were killed either by being shot or from the fall from the train. Upon arrival at Auschwitz on the 22^nd April 1943, 521 people (276 men and 245 women) were assigned slave labourers of whom only 150 survived the war. The Jews who arrived at Auschwitz were immediately murdered in the gas chambers. One member of the Belgian resistance who undertook the attack. Youra Linchitz, was caught and executed. The second, Jean Franlemon, was sentenced to 6 years imprisonment following a German court-martial. The third, Robert Mastriau, fled to the Ardennes forest and eventually survived the war.

(North Africa)

By the 1^st April 1943, the British and U.S. Allies continued to squeeze the retreating Germans into the corner of Tunisia. On the 3^rd March 1943 the U.S. forces had beaten the experienced German tank units at the Battle of El Quettar. In the meantime the British Eighth Army, commanded by Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery and nicknamed “Monty”, was approaching the Mareth Line from the east. The Italian defenders of the Mareth Line began their retreat on the 21^st March 1943 in order to escape Monty’s outflanking movement. On the 7^th April 1943, Allied armies linked up near Gafsa in Tunisia, the British from the east and the Americans from the west. In the meantime Monty led his Eighth Army into the coastal port of Sfax on the 10^th April 1943. With Allied air cover Monty entered Sfax to be greeted by the local people and secured the area when the defending Germans surrendered. In the meantime the Axis Powers were facing the threat of being trapped and destroyed by the Allies. In response reinforcements for the German Afrika Korps and Italian army were despatched by sea and air from Sicily. An immediate defeat in Tunisia was avoided by these reinforcements and logistical problems experienced by Allies helped the Axis to prolong their defence. In spite of the reinforcements in manpower and supplies the Axis were still being squeezed into the northern tip of Tunisia. Although the Allies had air superiority large numbers of the Axis forces were being evacuated by the Luftwaffe with impunity during darkness. Operation Flax had been ordered by the Allies to stop these evacuations which began on the 5^th April 1943. Allied air forces, consisting of the RAF and the United States American Air Force (USAAF) were to attack Axis aircraft by day and night. The Axis air force put up considerable resistance but the Allies succeeded in destroying the aerial link between Axis held Sicily and Italy. The tide had turned, the Axis were on the back foot. During the encounter on the 18^th April 1943, German Junkers Ju52 transport fleets suffered heavy losses in what is known as the “The Palm Sunday Massacre”. The Ju52 transport planes were evacuating German forces from Tunisia. Operation Flax ended on the 27^th April 1943 and for the Axis their losses were 432 aircraft in total. During the same period the Allies lost 35 aircraft in combat. The German transport fleet was unable to recover especially as they had also suffered many losses in the attempted airlift during the Battle of Stalingrad.

(Pacific)

The only Large scale escape of Allied prisoners-of-war from the Japanese in the Pacific occurred on the 4^th April 1943. Ten American POWs and two Filipino convicts broke out of the Davao Penal Colony on island of Mindanao in the southern Philippines. The penal colony was surrounded by crocodile infested swamps and inescapable. The Japanese were arrogant enough to believe the security of the colony especially with indigenous head hunters and cannibals also in the region. As well as American POWs in the penal colony there were also Filipino hardened criminals and murderers, who hated the Japanese. All inmates of the penal colony were expected and forced to work. The ten Americans and two Filipino convicts came up with a plan to escape. The Americans offered the excuse they were going to build a storm shelter in the coffee field and the Japanese agreed knowing escape was impossible. Once out of the penal centre the ten Americans met up with the two Filipino convicts who would act as their guides through the swamps. After about a week the group were escorted by Filipino guerrillas from the Davao area into the safety of a nearby village. The escaped POWs were the first to break the news of the infamous Bataan Death March and other atrocities conducted by the Japanese to the world. The Bataan Death March news was suppressed by the U.S. government for fear of Japanese retaliation against the remaining POWs. They were also fearful that the enraged Japanese would cancel Red Cross supplies to American POWs.

During Operation Vengeance, on the 18^th April 1943, Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto of the Imperial Japanese Navy was killed. This incident took place during the Solomon Islands Campaign. Yamamoto was scheduled to inspect the Japanese units. American Intelligence had previously broken the Japanese naval codes and had intercepted messages giving details of Yamamoto’s itinerary. Once the message had been decoded it gave details of time, location and numbers/types of Japanese aircraft accompanying him. Of the Japanese aircraft, two were Mitsubishi G4M1 bombers and six were Mitsubishi A6M2 Zero fighters. Mystery surrounds whether U.S. President Roosevelt authorised the attack mainly because the Americans blamed Yamamoto for the attack on Pearl Harbour in December 1941. Eighteen P-38 Lightning fighter aircraft took off at 07.25 from Kukum Field on Guadalcanal equipped with long range drop tanks for the 1,000 miles return trip. Four P-38’s arrived at the intercept point at 09.34 and attacked the Japanese bombers, one of which was transporting Yamamoto. Being attacked from the rear one of the bombers crashed into the jungle. east of Bougainville Island and the second crashed into the sea. The remaining fourteen P-38’s briefly engaged the Zero fighters without making any kills before having to return to base before their fuel ran out. Evidence indicates American P-38 pilot Rex T. Barber shot down the bomber carrying Yamamoto. However, Captain Thomas Lanphier claimed he had shot down the bomber, but subsequently Barber was given the credit. Such was the controversy of Yamamoto’s death that another rumour emerged, a pilot fired a series of bullets to warm his guns prior to battle. Yamamoto’s bomber inadvertently flew into the path of the stray bullets No confirmed evidence has been found to prove or disprove this theory. The Americans suffered the loss of one P-38 fighter with one pilot being killed, whilst the Japanese suffered the loss of the two bombers and one of the Zero’s being damaged. The Japanese also had twenty men killed including Admiral Yamamoto. The morale of the Japanese was perceived to be damaged by the death of Yamamoto. It raised the morale of the Allied Forces in the Pacific theatre.

(Other Theatres)

The Allied Services Club was a social centre in New Zealand and open to all military personnel. The club was located in Manners Street, Te Aro in the capital city of Wellington. American servicemen had been stationed in New Zealand since 1942. The Battle of Manners Street flared up on 3^rd April 1943 when some U.S. Marines objected to native Māori soldiers entering the club. Racial tensions began when some marines started to stop Māori soldiers from entering. Both white and Māori New Zealand soldiers combined in opposition which created a stand-off between the two sides. The stand-off escalated into fights when the marines began attacking those who wanted to let the Māori’s in. A major brawl developed about 6 pm and lasted approximately 2 hours. Also at 6 pm the local hotel bars closed and as patrons were leaving they became involved in the disturbance and many joined in the brawl. At one stage more than one thousand servicemen were involved with several hundred civilians joining in. By about 8 pm the participants began to disperse as civil and military police took control. Both sides suffered dozens of injuries and only one New Zealand serviceman was arrested. Because news of the riot was censored at the time, unconfirmed reports that two American marines had been killed could not be verified. The Americans had problems with white and non-white population in the U.S. and didn’t appreciate the culture of New Zealand’s mixed race acceptance. In New Zealand during the course of the war a couple more riots were to occur mainly due to the different cultures of the two countries even though they were both fighting the same enemy of Japan.

At a meeting in Salzburg, Austria on the 7^th April 1943 the two fascist leaders of the Axis Power met to discuss future policies. This meeting was the first time Nazi German’s Adolf Hitler and Italy’s Benito Mussolini had met since the collapse of Axis defence of Stalingrad in January 1943. Hitler and Mussolini were both dictators of their individual countries. Mussolini had accepted the loss of his Libyan colony in North Africa but feared an Allied invasion of Sicily. He requested reinforcements to create a second front. They only received moral support as it suited Hitler to have the Allies slowed down on the Italian front. Hitler, on the other hand, was convinced the war would be won or lost in Russia.

The South American country of Bolivia officially joined the Allies on the 7^th April 1943. They declared war on the Axis nations of Germany, Japan and Italy. Their involvement in the war was that their minerals were supplying much needed tin to the Allies. However, their involvement did not include providing troops or warplanes to be sent overseas. These would be needed at home even though Bolivia remained confident their geographic isolation would protect them from the war.

At Hamilton City in Bermuda an international conference was held from the 19^thto 30^th April 1943. The conference consisted of a delegation from the United Kingdom led by Richard Law, a junior minister at the Foreign Office and the United States led by Dr. Harold W. Dodds. The topic of discussion at the Bermuda Conference was the question of Jewish refugees. Many Jews had been liberated by Allied forces in Europe, while many still remained in Nazi occupied territory. Before any Jewish immigration policies could be discussed the only conclusive agreement was that the war against Germany had to be won first.

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The Bay Museum & Research Facility

Category Archives: 1943

16 Battery R.A.

16 Battery R.A.

SECOND WORLD WAR

SECOND WORLD WAR July 1943

Air Raid Damage Reports Brentwood Division Essex Fire Service May 1943.

OPERATION CHASTISE – “THE DAMBUSTERS RAIDS”

SECOND WORLD WAR May 1943

Air Raid Damage Reports Brentwood Division Essex Fire Service April 1943.

Notebook of Peter Carr Benham April 1943

SECOND WORLD WAR April 1943