Air Raid Damage Reports Brentwood Division Essex Fire Service August 1941.

Date Time Location Damage

02/08/1941 Paglesham 1 – Paramine located in Paglesham Pool and dealt

with by Naval Authorities. No damage or casualties. Believed dropped with one found at Canewdon see 10.7.41.

06/08/1941 00.15 Little I.Bs (a number) burnt out in fields East of Dunton

Burstead Waylet off Noak Hill Road. No damage or casualties.

09/08/1941 23.30 Rayleigh 3 – H.Es exploded, 1 15 yards South of

“Bramblecot” Lancaster Road and 2 about 400 yards from junction of Lancaster and Eastwood Roads. External walls of “Bramblecot” damaged and chimney of 3 Connaught Road. No casualties.

16/08/1941 18.30 Great A Naval Barrage balloon grounded in a field 300

Wakering yards North of Twyford Avenue. Fabric torn. Letters in black on side “R.N.” & on the nose “MARY and 5804” RAF Rochford informed.

16/08/1941 Vange 1 – H.E unexploded found in a field 30 yards North

of L.M.S. Railway and 200 yards East of Timberlog Lane. No damage or casualties. Date of falling believed to be 15.9.40.

18/08/1941 South Weald 1 – Oil I.B. unburnt found on open ground East of

Weald Brook, opposite 13th hole Maylands Golf Course. No damage or casualties. (disposed of BDS 7.9.41).

19/08/1941 Eastwood 1 – H.E. unexploded found on open ground 1/2

mile West of Flemmings Farmhouse. No damage or casualties. Date of falling believed 19.8.41. (disposed of BDS 9.9.41)

22/08/1941 19.15 Wickford A Tiger Moth aeroplane, No 7229, Piloted by

Flying Officer Gardiner attached to Hornchurch Aerodrome made a forced landing in a meadow at Beauchamps Farm, Southend Road, owing to mechanics defects. No casualties or damage. RAF informed at Hornchurch. Police & Home Guard supplied the Guard. Removed 23.8.41.

28/08/1941 Ingrave 1 – H.E. unexploded in a corm field 200 yards

North West of Handleys Farmhouse. No damage or casualties. Date of falling not known. Ref E.X.625 (disposed of BDS).

31/08/1941 Great Warley 1 – H.E. unexploded in field at Stoney Hills Farm

near Upminster common. No damage or casualties. Date of falling not known. Disposed of BDS).

Benham letter 20 August 1941

Aug20

I carried out your instructions re your letter.

Larkhill

Friday 10.30 pm.

My dearest Maz,

I must apologise for using this thin paper but I am sitting up in bed, and this is the only paper I can muster in my room.

Many thank, Maz, for your letter which arrived this evening. It was sweet and I was very touched by it. I too have had the same involuntary feeling sometimes but it has always passed quickly when I think of the future which lies ahead of us all. As I’ve said before the times which you and I have had in the past were times which I shall never forget, you were always so terribly sweet and kind to me and you and Par were for ever encouraging me in every way; and in the future we shall have some more marvellous times together. I know that it will be some recompense to you to know that I am really happy and in the care of a girl who loves me as much as I love her. I’ve never had the chance to talk to you as I should like to have done about Eileen, but she’s really wonderfully sweet, and, I know, looks upon you as her mother. It’s a funny thing I suppose but I always rather liken my heart to a house, one part of which will always be occupied by you, it will never matter where I am or what I’m doing I shall always think of you and love you in the same way as I do now and that is with all the love a son has for his mother.

The words of yours in the latter part of your letter were very true and I shall never forget them and I hope that Eileen and I will be able to live up to the ideals for which we are all fighting.

When we get our house in running order absolutely nothing will please us more than to have you with us and I might say I’m already longing for the day when we shall be meeting you at Salisbury and bringing you to see our home, and hoping that everything will meet with your approval!!

Please open anything which looks as though it may contain a spot of cash. Very many thanks for your very kind cheque but I really shall be most upset unless it’s a small one. All that I want, Maz dear, is your love and your blessing and the promise from you that you will never think for one little minute that I shall ever be anything but your ever loving and ever affectionate

Peter

Letter addressed to Mrs. G.C. Benham, 5, Oxford Road, Colchester Essex. Postmark mostly unreadable but date 20 Au 41.

SECOND WORLD WAR August 1941

Aug1

SECOND WORLD WAR August 1941

(Britain)

By August 1941 the Government Code & Cypher School (GC & CS) was well established with both male and female British code-breakers. Bletchley Park was established as the principal centre for the code-breaking facilities in 1938. Before the beginning of the Second World War Polish code-breakers had cracked the Enigma Code which sent out military secret messages produced by the Germans. The original Enigma machine looked like a typewriter and when each letter was typed in, another letter came out so that messages would be received in code. The receiving party had an identical machine which changed the code back to the original message. The codes for the Enigma cyphers were frequently changed and the task was to find a way to access the more complicated code. As the Germans were changing their cyphers daily the Polish code-breakers were not able to proceed and handed the information over to the British to continue the task. The capture of German U-boat U-110 off the coast of Ireland on the 9^th May 1941 proved beneficial to the Bletchley Park code-breakers. Before the U-boat could be scuttled the Enigma machine and code book was secured. U-110 was taken in tow back toward Britain but sank en-route to Scapa Flow. The British code-breakers eventually developed the “Colossus” computer in 1943.

The British special group nicknamed “The Shetland Bus” came into force on the 30^th August 1941 and became a permanent link between Shetland in Scotland and German occupied Norway. The main purpose of the group of men and boats was to assist agents of the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) and the Special Operations Executive (SOE) in and out of Norway. A fleet of camouflaged working fishing boats were used, armed with light machine-guns concealed inside oil drums placed on deck, and the crew passing as fishermen. ”The Shetland Bus” was used to transfer agents to Norway and to provide them with the necessary weapons and supplies. The crossing were mostly carried at night during the winter months which entailed the crews and passengers enduring very heavy North Sea conditions. By sailing without navigation lights the boats were under constant risk of discovery by German aircraft or patrol boats. There was always the possibility of being captured whilst carrying out a mission to the Norwegian as the operations were under constant threat from German forces.

———–

(Germany)

In Nazi Germany in 1939 the T4 programme was set up to establish the euthanasia of mentally ill and handicapped citizens. The T4 programme was formed to create the Euthanasia Department, headed by Doctor Viktor Brack and targeted some children as being mentally defective. The children, including Jewish children, were transported from all over Germany to a Special Psychiatric Youth Department and systematically murdered. Either they were injected with lethal substances or led into shower rooms where they were gassed. Eventually the programme was extended to include adults. German doctors and clergy protested that the programme was barbaric. On the 18^th August 1941, Dictator Adolf Hitler ordered the programme to be suspended in Germany as he did not need such bad publicity. The programme would be revived in occupied Poland. This programme continued when the T4 personnel were transferred to concentration camps primarily for the extermination of the Jewish population.

German U-boat U-570 was on patrol in the North Atlantic south of Iceland on 27^th August 1941. U-570 was on her first patrol although the commander Kapitäieutant Hans-Joachim Rahmlow and his second-in-command were experienced surface naval officers, but not in submarine warfare. The U-boat crew were inexperienced in any type of naval service. U-570 spent most of the morning submerged but surfaced approximately 10.50 am and was attacked by an American Lockheed Hudson light bomber. The Hudson was on loan to the British and was being flown by the Royal Air Force (RAF) on patrol. Rahmlow ordered a crash dive after hearing the approach of The Hudson which dropped four depth-charges. One of the depth-charges detonated approximately 10 yards from the boat and U-570 resurfaced. Some of the crew emerged and displayed a white sheet after the Hudson had subjected them to machine-gun fire. A Catalina flying boat was ordered to fly out and watch the U-boat until Allied ships arrived. She was towed away for repair and eventually entered service with the Royal Navy as HMS Graph in September 1941.

————

(Eastern Front)

Following Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941, Germany declared the District of Galicia in Poland as the fifth district of Generalgouvernement on the 1^st August 1941. After occupying Galicia, Adolf Hitler formed a capital in the Galician province of Limburg. Prior to the German invasion of the Soviet Union the joint German/Soviet Union had invaded Poland in 1939 and the Soviet Union had temporarily occupied the District of Galicia.

In Stanislaw in Galicia on the 2^nd August 1941 German S.S. Commander Hans Kruger ordered all Jewish and Polish intelligentsia be registered. Subsequently the intelligentsia were tortured and murdered. This action became the first implementation of the “one bullet one Jew” system in the occupied territory of Galicia.

In Norway on the 2^nd August 1941 the Nazi German occupation authorities implemented the confiscation of all Norwegian civil radios in order that the population did not have access to BBC broadcasts.

The German invasion of the Soviet Union, codenamed Operation Barbarossa, was initially a spectacular success and on 5^th August 1941 the German army trapped the Soviet army at Smolensk on the drive toward Moscow. Smolensk fell to the Germans on the 6^th August 1941 but overall the German advance had slowed down. Hitler took personal control of the campaign and on the 12^th August 1941 he issued a directive that he believed would be a tactical move to take Leningrad in the north and the Crimean industrial basin in the south before winter. Against the advice of his military Generals, who wanted to continue the advance to Moscow, Hitler moved some of his troops advancing on Moscow to the Leningrad fronts. By the 22^nd August 1941 the German forces were closing in on Leningrad and the first steps in the Siege of Leningrad began on the 31^st August 1941.

Spain during the Second World War was officially a neutral country. However, on the 20^th August 1941 a new German Infantry division was formed and had the assistance of 18,000 Spanish volunteers. The volunteers were officially designated as the Blue Division who were to serve in the German Army on the Eastern Front. Spanish leader General Francisco Franco sent an official offer of help to Berlin in June 1941 on the proviso that the volunteers would only fight against the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front. Adolf Hitler readily approved of the Spanish volunteers on the 26^th June 1941 and Spanish volunteers flocked to recruiting offices in Spain to fight against the Soviet Army. The offer of help was to repay German support during the Spanish Civil War of 1936 and to maintain their neutrality they would not take up arms against the Allies on the Western Front.

The Soviet Union began the evacuation of Tallinn in Estonia on the 28^th August 1941. Soviet forces had occupied Estonia since June 1940 and, following Operation Barbarossa, German forces advanced rapidly through the Soviet-occupied Baltic States. 190 ships in the Red Army Baltic Fleet were bottled up in the harbour of the Estonian capital Tallinn surrounded by German forces. In anticipation of a Soviet breakout the German navy began laying minefields and the Soviet minesweepers tried to clear a pathway through the minefields. The Soviet embarkation was protected by smokescreens, but previous minesweeping activities were largely ineffective. Bad weather and the shortage of Soviet aircraft was the main cause for the lack of protection for the fleet. Despite this the Soviet evacuation of Tallinn was successful in that 165 ships, 28,000 civilian passengers and 66,000 tons of equipment managed to escape. There are not any available records showing how many Soviet soldiers and airmen were evacuated, however, 12,400 people were thought to have drowned.

———–

(Other Theatres)

On the 1^st August 1941 the United States of America announced a ban on oil exports to “aggressor countries” including Japan. There had been tensions between America and Japan following the 1931 Japanese invasion of Manchuria. Japan imposed an embargo of all oil imports and war supplies from America to China. The Japanese Imperial Navy estimated it had less than two years bunker oil remaining following the American ban of oil imports to Japan. This eventually would lead to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour in December 1941 bringing America into the war.

During 1941 the Japanese military planned to attack the British colonies of Malaya and Burma in a bid to conquer Southeast Asia. Germany encouraged Japan on the proposed invasion as it would divert British military forces away from the European theatre of war. In order to attack Malaya and Burma the Japanese sought free passage through Thailand. The British however, began to suspect that Japan was planning to set up bases in Thailand. On the 6^th August 1941 the British and American Governments warned Japan not to invade Thailand and severe sanctions were placed on Japan. Despite the sanctions the Japanese invasion of Thailand occurred on the 8^th December 1941.

The Atlantic Charter was a joint statement by the British and American governments and issued on the 9^th August 1941. This statement outlined the British and American aims for the world at the end of the Second World War. The Charter proposed that there was not any territorial changes made against the wishes of the people, restoration of self-government and reduction of trade restrictions. There never was a signed version but when it was released to the public the Charter was titled “Joint Declarations by the President of the U, S. and the British Prime Minister”.

The Anglo-Soviet invasion of neutral Iran began on the 25^th August 1941. The joint UK and Soviet troops invaded as they suspected the Iranian Leader Reza Shah was friendly to Germany. The invasion was to secure Iranian oil fields and Allied supply lines. Upon occupying Iran the Allies replaced Reza Shah with his son Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and the invasion ended on the 17^th September 1941 as the occupation took over.

Air Raid Damage Reports Brentwood Division Essex Fire Service July 1941.

Jul31

Air Raid Damage Reports Brentwood Division Essex Fire Service July 1941.

Date Time Location Damage

01/07/1941 Found Paglesham 1 – Unexploded Para Mine complete with

parachute found in mud on North side of Paglesham Pool Creek 1/4 mile from junction with River Roach, Wallasea Island (exploded by Naval Authority 4th). Also Tail Cap marked L.D. 682 in cap in red stencil and Parachute complete with shackle and Tail cap marked D.5718 in red over 63 in yellow found at Clements Farm. All believed fell the 23.6.41. No damage or casualties.

02/07/1941 01.10 Foulness 2 – Parachute mines exploded in the sea off

Island Foulness Island, between Eastwick Farm and Fishermans Head. No damage or casualties.

9 – H.Es exploded in fields 300 yards North of Scaldhurst Farm. No damage or casualties.02/07/1941 01.40 Foulness 2 – Parachute mines exploded in the sea off Foulness Island, between Eastwick Farm and Fishermans Head. No damage or casualties.

02/07/1941 Found Thundersley 1 – Unexploded AA Shell found in a field

behind the Utility Poultry Farm, Rayleigh Road. Time of occurrence not known. No damage or casualties.

06/07/1941 02.45 Canvey A Barrage Balloon grounded. Deflated and

Island removed to Canvey Island Fire Station. RAF Hornchurch informed.

07/07/1941 Found South 1 – H.E unexploded in wood 800 yards North of

Weald Colchester Road, Brook Street, East of Putwell Bridge, 500 yards from Brook, 150 yards into wood. Time of falling not known. No damage or casualties. (disposed of BDS 27.7.41).

07/07/1941 Found Hockley A Meteorological balloon found by Leslie Ellis of

Nelson Road Hockley forwarded to HQ 17.7.41.

10/07/1941 16.55 Canewdon Captain Dane, Resident Naval Officer of Burnham

on Crouch reported that at 16-55 hours the 10th, 1st, a mine exploded at the entrance to Lion Creek, Nr Lower Raypits Canewdon and blew up a motor boat, owned by P & N Petticrow Ltd of Eastern Boathouse, Burnham and contained two employees of that firm (names not known). They had been to Bridge Marsh Island and when returning the boat struck a mine. Search has been made of the foreshore of the River Crouch at Wallasea Island and Canewdon, but no trace of the two men or the boat has been found.

13/07/1941 02.45 Wickford 2 – H.Es exploded in a field East of Brock Hill Road

slight damage to a disused farm building. No casualties.

14/07/1941 09.45 Rayleigh Naval Barrage Balloon found in a field 100 yards

West of Doggetts Chase, deflated. Marked in black KB/MK over 1043. Also R.N. removed by RAF 16.7.41.

17/07/1941 Found Great Naval Barrage Balloon found in a ditch 100 yards

Burstead North West of Sewer Works, Barleylands. Seen to fall 21-00 hrs 12.7.41. Marked R.N. Collected by RAF 18.7.41.

18/07/1941 15.45 Great Naval Barrage Balloon found in a field at

Wakering Alexander Road. Deflated and torn from end to end. Marked R.N. and K.B. Mark 6. 4804 on side and EVA on nose. RAF Rochford informed.

19/07/1941 Found Brentwood 2 – H.E unexploded in a field East of Weald Brook,

opposite 13th hole, Mayland Golf Course, Brook Street. No damage or casualties. Time of falling not known.

21/07/1941 Found Canewdon 1 – H.E unexploded in a field 400 yards North of

Wick Farm. No damage or casualties. (disposed of BDS 26.7.41).

24/07/1941 13.00 Hockley A Meteorological balloon with machine attached

found in a field removed to Police Station. Inscribed No B.236 on machine. Label “The Supt, Observatory, Richmond, Surrey. (Forwarded to H.Q.).

25/07/1941 19.00 Haven Gore The body of a German Airman in an advanced

Island state of decomposition found on the foreshore, 100 yards from sea wall at Haven Gore Point. Body removed to Rochford Rural District Mortuary. Name and identity undecipherable. Removed and buried by RAF Southend.

28/07/1941 02.30 Ingrave 8 – H.Es unexploded in fields at rear of Whitby

Avenue. No damage or casualties.

28/07/1941 03.15 Canewdon 9 – H.Es exploded in fields 300 yards North of

Scaldhurst Farm. No damage or casualties.

SECOND WORLD WAR July 1941

Jul1

SECOND WORLD WAR July 1941

(Britain)

On the 12^thJune 1941 Britain and the Soviet Union signed the Anglo-Soviet Agreement pledging to assist each other and not make a separate peace with Germany. This military alliance was to be for the duration of the war and was the direct result of the German invasion of the Soviet Union on the 22^nd June 1941 code named Operation Barbarossa.

Prime Minister Winston Churchill referred to the “V for Victory” campaign in a speech, on the 19^th July 1941, from which point he began using the “V” hand sign. In January 1941 the “V” sign was introduced as part of a campaign by the Allies. The Belgian Minister of Justice, Victor de Lavelete suggested, on the Belgian-French language broadcasts on the BBC, that the “V for Victory” sign be used as a rallying emblem during the Second World War. The emblematic use of the letter “V” had spread through occupied Europe by July 1941. The BBC started the “V for Victory” campaign using the Morse code rhythm (three dots and a dash) as its call sign. The opening bars of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony has the same rhythm and the BBC used this call sign in its foreign language programmes to occupied Europe throughout the remainder of the war.

———-

(Germany)

German heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen whilst under repair in Brest Harbour, on the French coast, was attacked by British bombers on the 1^st July 1941. An armour-piercing bomb dropped on and destroyed the control centre deep down under the bridge which also controlled all the guns. During the Battle of the Atlantic in May 1941 the German battleship Bismarck was joined by the Prinz Eugen and escorted by three destroyers in an attempt to break out into the Atlantic. They engaged with the Royal Navy and Bismarck was sunk on the 27^th May 1941. Although damaged Prinz Eugen managed to escape to Brest, arriving on the 1^st June 1941. German battle ships Scharnhorst and Gneisenau were also under repair in Brest Harbour at the time of the attack. The three ships were out of action and under repair until the end of 1941.

The Final Solution to the “Jewish question” began on the 31^st July 1941. The Final Solution was a Nazi plan for the genocide of the Jews. It was designed as a deliberate and systematic genocide across German occupied Europe. Reichsführer Heinrich Himmler became the new architect of the plan proposed by Nazi dictator Adolf Hitler about the forcible removal of Jews from German controlled territories. Reichsmarshall Herman Göring wrote to Reinhardt Heydrich, Himmler’s deputy, authorising him to submit concrete proposals for the extermination of the Jews.

———-

(Mediterranean Campaign and Desert War)

The Battle of Palmyra was part of the Allied invasion of Syria during the Syrian-Lebanon campaign. Vichy-France had substantial forces in the region and their ally Germany were allowed to use the air bases as staging posts for the Luftwaffe to take part in Anglo-Iraqi War. The Germans were also allowed to use the railway systems for send arms and ammunition to Iraq. In June 1941 the Allied forces had been launched from Palestine and Trans-Jordan into Syria and Lebanon. On the 1^st July 1941 British mechanised cavalry and an Arab legion desert patrol advanced to defeat the Vichy-French 2^nd Garrison at Palmyra to secure the oil pipeline from Iraq to Tripoli. The Allies entered Sukhna as it was not occupied by Vichy- French troops, but was attacked by the Vichy 2^nd Light Desert Company. After a sharp battle the Vichy-French retreated into a box valley pursued by Arab Legion troops and surrendered. This caused the 3^rd Light Desert Company, garrisoned at Palmyra, to lose heart and surrender. One minute past midnight of the 12^th July 1941 the campaign ended and a ceasefire came into effect.

On Malta the new Air Commodore Hugh Lloyd made an inspection tour of the airfields and main workshops in early July 1941. The state of the island was worse than he expected but he realised the protection of air and naval assets would have to be his first priority. The Royal Air Force (RAF) had fewer than 60 serviceable aircraft of all types with very limited spares and what spares he did have was supplemented by sifting through the debris of wrecks or cannibalising of damaged aircraft. German air activity was slackened after the Luftwaffe departed for the Eastern Front following Operation Barbarossa after Germany had undertaken their attack on Russia. The Italian Regia Aeronautica was left to continue the effective air campaign against Malta By mid -July 1941 supplies were beginning to reach Malta and RAF British Hurricane fighter aircraft were arriving in readiness to defend the island.

———–

(Eastern Front)

In June 1941 the Russian nation was unprepared for war. The Germans advanced over a wide front and Joseph Stalin, the Soviet Union dictator, proposed “a scorched earth policy” during a radio broadcast on the 3^rd July 1941. When the Soviet army was forced to retreat all materials, food and military equipment was to be destroyed in order that the advancing German army could not benefit from the evacuation. In the occupied territory the remaining citizens were required to form into partisan groups and sabotage the enemy progress at every possible opportunity. Despite “the scorched earth” policy the invading forces, code named Operation Barbarossa, reached the Dnieper River near Kiev on the 5^th July 1941. On a wide front stretching from the Baltic to the Black Sea on the 16^th June 1941 the Battle of Smolensk began and by the 28^th July 1941 German Panzers had reached Smolensk with the infantry following up.

The Baltic state of Latvia was occupied by the Germans on the 1^st July 1941. The Soviet Union had annexed Latvia from Germany and Riga became the capital of Latvia under the Soviet regime prior to Operation Barbarossa. Following the German occupation, which began on the 10^th July 1941, Riga became the German capital of Latvia. Once the Germans had established its authority the elimination of the Jewish and Roma population began. Anyone not racially acceptable or who opposed the German occupation were either killed or sent to concentration camps. Any Latvian citizen who cooperated with the Soviet Union suffered the same fate. The Jewish community were humiliated and deprived of their rights by being confined to their homes for most of the time. They were only able to shop in special stores and were allotted lower food rations. They were forced to wear the yellow Star of David on their clothes, restricted in their movements and had to surrender any securities they possessed. On the 27^th July 1941 guidelines on the Jewish question was made public. They were herded into specific areas where ghettoes were arranged and they were forbidden to leave them. They were also used as cheap labour being paid minimum wages and provided with minimum food.

Operation Arctic Fox began on the 1^st July 1941 when joint Finnish-German forces conducted a major offensive against the Soviet Union. This offensive followed the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. The principal goal was to capture the town of Salla, just inside the Finnish border with the Soviet Union, then advance toward Kandalaksha in the Soviet Union. This advance was an effort to block the railway route to Murmansk. The joint operation combined Finnish arctic troops with unsuitably equipped German troops who had been based in Norway. After fierce fighting Salla was captured by the Finnish-German troops and they advanced to within 19 miles (30 km) of the Murmansk railway. Further advance was prevented by the arrival of strong Soviet reinforcements. Owing to the offensive of Operation Barbarossa the Germans were unwilling to commit more units to this theatre and called an end to their attack. Operation Arctic Fox ended in November 1941 when both sides dug in after the Finns were reluctant to continue the attack on their own.

During Operation Barbarossa, Hungary who was an ally of Nazi Germany, occupied the Polish city of Stanislawow on the 2^nd July 1941. By orders of the Nazi Gestapo, on the 26^th July 1941, a Jewish council was established to organise Jewish life and implement German orders. By the end of July 1941 the German occupiers took control of the city.

Italian dictator Benito Mussolini ordered a contingent of the Italian Royal Army to the Eastern Front on the 10^th July 1941. In an effort to show solidarity to the Axis Powers Mussolini sent a corps size formation into the Soviet Union called the “Italian Expeditionary Force in Russia”. This force participated in the German advance through the Ukraine to the Volga along the southern part of the Eastern Front.

A general uprising in Montenegro broke out on the 13^th July 1941 against the Italian forces in occupied Yugoslavia. The uprising was instigated by the Yugoslav Communist Party who objected to the privileged position offered by the occupiers. In three weeks the insurgents forced the Italian troops to retreat to their stronghold position and captured almost all of the territory of Montenegro. The Italians conducted a counter-offensive and suppressed the uprising within six weeks.

In Poland between the 1^st and 4^th July 1941 in the city of Lwow (modern day Lviv in the Ukraine) the occupying Nazi German army murdered 25 Polish academics. The Massacre included professors, scientists and writers and their families in an effort to prevent anti-Nazi activity. By targeting prominent citizens and intellectuals they wished to weaken the resolve of the Polish resistance movement

————

(Other Theatres)

In America on the 1^st July 1941, all men aged twenty-one and under the age of thirty-three years were required to register with their local draft officer under the Selective and Service Act of 1940. Draftees were then selected by national lottery to be included in the first military conscription in the U.S. history. If selected the draftee served on active duty for twelve months and then served in a reserve capacity for a further ten years.

The defence of Iceland was transferred to the United States of America from Britain on the 7^th July 1941. At the beginning of the war neutral Iceland was a sovereign kingdom of Denmark. With the German invasion of Denmark, Britain imposed strict export controls on Icelandic goods as part of its naval blockade preventing profitable shipments to Germany. The British invaded Iceland during May 1940 and by June 1940, to protect the North Atlantic sea lanes, handed control over to the Canadians. The British was able to return back in the defence of Britain. Although still officially neutral the United States of America was handed the role of defence of Iceland by Britain on the 7^th July 1941. Iceland remained neutral throughout the Second World War and cooperated with the British and the Americans whilst enjoying the benefits of being “protected” by them.

In America on the 26^th July 1941 Japanese assets were frozen and relations suspended between the U.S and Japan. This was in response to the Japanese occupation of French Indochina. For the Japanese this meant a 77% loss of foreign trade and a 90% loss of oil supplies. American President Franklin D. Roosevelt had ordered these events following similar freezing of German and Italian assets and the withdrawal of their consular staff in June 1941.

Air Raid Damage Reports Brentwood Division Essex Fire Service June 1941.

Jun30

Air Raid Damage Reports Brentwood Division Essex Fire Service June 1941.

Date Time Location Damage

04/06/1941 Found Little Warley 1 – H.E unexploded at Bluehouse Farm, East of

Horndon Railway Bridge. No damage or casualties. (disposed of BDS 4.6.41).

05/06/1941 00.03 Thundersley Damage to telephone kiosk in Hart Road by

shrapnel. No casualties.

05/06/1941 01.10 Bowers 4 – H.Es exploded, 2 on Golf Course, 1 in ditch and

Gifford 1 in Farmyard at Great Mussels Farm. Severe damage to farm buildings and a bungalow. No casualties.

17/06/1941 19.00 Billericay 1 – H.E. unexploded found 300 yards North of Tye

Common Road and 150 yards South of Bluntswall Chase. No damage or casualties.

18/06/1941 19.30 Great Bernard Aubrey Wendon, 13 years, of 5 Wakering

Wakering Wick Cottages, New Road with two other boys was returning home from Havengore Creek and was walking on an unmade road which leads from Oxenham Farm to Coastguard Station Cottages. The road passes through a minefield fenced off either side of the road. Wendon was killed by a mine exploding caused by the children throwing stones into the minefield. Body conveyed to Mortuary at Billericay Hospital. Other boys escaped injury.

21/06/1941 Found Vange 1 – H.E unexploded on open ground about 70

yards South, South East of “Niacasa” Beech Road. Believed to have fallen 13.9.40.

23/06/1941 01.30 Nevendon 2 – Parachute Flares, 1 aluminium container fell

through the roof of a bungalow in Burnt Mills Road causing slight damage to roof. 1 aluminium container found in a field at Nevendon. No casualties. (removed by B.D.S. 24.6.41).

23/06/1941 01.40 Foulness 2 – Parachute mines exploded between Lodge

Island Farm and East Wick Farm. Damage to Lodge Farm and houses at Church Road. No casualties.

23/06/1941 01.45 Rayleigh 26 – H.Es 5 are unexploded, 7 exploded in vicinity

of Eastwood Road. 1 exploded in Leslie Road, 2 Warwick Road, 2 in The Chase. 2 Avondale Road, 5 in vicinity of Wellington, Napier and Victoria Roads, and 2 in an orchard in Bull Lane. The unexploded 1 between Trinity Road and The Chase (BDS 26.6.41), 1 in garden of “Terra Murra” Princes Road (BDS 1.7.41). 1 in orchard 200 yards South of Bull Lane (BDS 8.7.41). 1 Warwick Road.

23/06/1941 Found Shenfield 1 – A.A. unexploded Shell near L.N.E. Railway,

rear of engine turntable. No damage or casualties. (BDS 26.6.41).

26/06/1941 05.00 Foulness 1 – Naval Barrage Balloon torn from end to end

Island and deflated grounded 100 yards West of Landwick Police Lodge, New Ranges. R.N. marked on side & XB/NK 6/1127 on nose. RAF informed.

27/06/1941 01.40 Foulness 1 – H.E. exploded in a field 300 yards North East of

Island Wardens Post “P” 18. No damage or casualties.

30/06/1941 Found Paglesham The tail cap and parachute of para mine at

Clements Farm. Tail Cap marked D.5718 in red stencil over 63 in yellow. Search being made for para mine. No damage or casualties.

30/06/1941 Found Canvey 1 – Unexploded Cannon Shell at rear of “Selsey

Island Bay” Mornington Road. No damage or casualties.

THE BLITZ

Jun2

THE BLITZ

The Battle of Britain lasted from 10th July 1940 until the 30th October 1940 which was overlapped by the period of The Blitz. From the 7^th September 1940 bombing raids on London, known as “The Blitz” began. With German invasion plans on hold, German Dictator Adolf Hitler turned his attention to destroying London in an attempt to force the British to come to peace terms. London was bombed systematically for 56 out of the following 57 days or nights. Whereas the Battle of Britain targeted mainly the airfields of fighter command on the south coast, the Blitz concentrated on London and other cities of Britain. The Blitz was an attack of continued night-time bombing operations on Britain when daylight attacks proved to be unsustainable. The Blitz ended on the 11^th May 1941 as Germany shifted its focus toward the Soviet Union and the East. The Battle of Britain and the Blitz marked the first major defeat of Germany’ military forces when their operations failed to give Germany air superiority over Britain.

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(1940)

On the 15^th September 1940 a large-scale raid was launched against London but the Luftwaffe suffered significant losses for very little gain. Gradually, by October 1940 the Luftwaffe began to attack with night-time raids to avoid defending RAF fighters.

The invasion of Britain was an uncoordinated venture by the German Luftwaffe, navy and infantry and consequently Hitler postponed Operation Sea Lion indefinitely on the 17^th September 1940.

On the 24^th September 1940 King George VI inaugurated the George Cross in recognition of the bravery of his citizens during the Blitz. The King and Queen Elizabeth felt justified to face the people of the East End of London after Buckingham Palace had been bombed on the 10^t^h and 13^th September 1940. To boost the morale of their citizens the King and Queen continued to live in London during the Blitz and throughout the war. Because of the Queen’s morale boosting abilities Hitler considered her ‘to be the most dangerous woman in Europe’.

On the 14^th October 1940 Balham underground station was hit by a 1400kg bomb causing the northbound tunnel to collapse. The station was one of many designated air raid shelters for civilians and this disaster resulted in the deaths of 65 people but over 400 civilians managed to escape to safety. In the blackout a double decker bus crashed into the crater caused on the road above, fortunately without any loss of life.

On the 21^st October 1940 the city of Liverpool was raided by the Luftwaffe. The docks and ports of Liverpool and Birkenhead were the largest on the west coast of England and therefore attracted German bombing raids second only to raids on London.

On the night of the 24/25^th October 1940 the Italian Royal Air Force (Regia Aeronautica) conducted its first raid on Britain when their aircraft attacked Harwich and Felixstowe. Italian Dictator Benito Mussolini had insisted that the Regia Aeronautica be involved in the raids on Britain. Of the eighteen bombers involved in the raid, one crashed on take-off and three were lost on the return journey. Not all of the bombers found their targets but ten crews reported they were successful. The next major operation was on the 29^th October 1940 when fifteen bombers escorted by fighters bombed Ramsgate. Five Italian aircraft suffered damage due to local anti-aircraft fire.

The most severe Luftwaffe raid was on the city of Coventry occurred on the 14^th November 1940 when 13 German aircraft fitted with electronic navigational aids accurately dropped marker flares at 7.20 pm. Following bombers dropped high explosive and incendiary bombs and many fires spread out of control. With many utilities destroyed, the fire brigade were unable to control the fires. At approximately 8.00 pm Coventry Cathedral had been bombed and was on fire. The raid climaxed around midnight and by the time the all clear sounded at 6.15 pm over 4,000 homes were destroyed and approximately two thirds of the city’s building damaged. 568 people lost their lives with another 1,200 people injured.

On the 29^th November 1940 the Luftwaffe launched a massive bombing raid on Liverpool. The worst single incident was when a building above an underground shelter in Durning Road, Edge Hill received a direct hit. The building collapsed killing 166 people and injuring many more who were sheltering in the basement.

On the following night, the 30^th November 1940, the Luftwaffe launched a bombing raid on Southampton where the docks and the Supermarine factory at Woolston were the main targets. The Woolston factory was where the Supermarine Spitfire fighter was manufactured.

During the month of December 1940 bombing raids were exchanged between Britain and Germany. On the night of the 4^th December 1940 approximately sixty German bombers attacked Birmingham. A week later, on the night of the 11^th December 1940, two hundred and seventy eight German bombers launched the largest raid of the war on Birmingham. Apart from explosives, 2,500 incendiary bombs were dropped causing widespread fires in both the residential and industrial areas. Over five hundred people were either killed or seriously injured.

Manchester Cathedral, the Royal Exchange and the Free Trade Hall were among the many large buildings damaged when the Luftwaffe bombed Manchester on the 22nd/23rd and the 23rd/24th December 1940. A total of approximately 450 tons of high explosive bombs were dropped and approximately two thousand seven hundred people were killed or seriously injured on the two nights.

London sustained another large German air raid on the 29^th/30^th December 1940 with the bombing in the St. Paul’s Cathedral area of the city. Twenty nine incendiary bombs fell on the dome of the Cathedral and one burnt through the lead covered wooden dome. The bombs fell outward and landed on the stone gallery below and the fire was soon extinguished as was the fire in the dome. The scene was captured on the iconic photograph where the Cathedral was shown surrounded by thick black smoke which was called “St. Paul’s Survives”. Approximately six hundred and fifty people were killed or injured that night.

(1941)

On the 1^st January 1941 the previous night’s bombing raid on London revealed damage or destruction to the Old Bailey, the Guildhall and eight of Christopher Wren’ churches.

19^th, 20^th and 21^st February 1941 was when the German Luftwaffe attacked Swansea in their “Three Night’s Blitz”. Seeing Swansea as a legitimate target the bombers were aiming for the docks, the port and the oil refinery. A large part of the city centre was severely damaged with the loss of 230 civilians and a further 409 being injured. The Germans were hoping to cripple coal supplies and to destroy the civilian and emergency service morale. To boost the morale of the citizens the King, Queen and Prime Minister Winston Churchill visited Swansea.

London was bombed on the 8^th March 1941 and Buckingham Palace was hit but did not sustain any major damage. Thousands of incendiary and hundreds of high explosive bombs were dropped on Portsmouth on the 10^th March 1941. Glasgow was attacked on the 13^th & 14^th March 1941 and Portsmouth Docks and Devonport were subjected to a series of devastating raids from the 19th March 1941. Over 4,000 Luftwaffe aircraft were engaged in the bombing raids of March 1941.

April 1941 was the month when the Blitz was concentrated on British Cities.

Bristol and Avonmouth suffered heavy German air attacks on the 3^rd, 4^th, 7^th and 11^th April 1941. Effectively the Blitz of Bristol had ended on the 11^th April 1941. Coventry also suffered two heavy raids by German bombers on the 8^th/9^th and the 10^th/11^th April 1941. Major damage and destruction was caused to some factories, central police station, Coventry Hospital and churches. Birmingham had Luftwaffe raids on the 9^th and 10^th April 1941 where the Bull Ring, the Prince of Wales Theatre and the Midlands Arcade were badly damaged or destroyed. The surrounding areas also received considerable damage. Belfast had two separate raids on the night of 7^th/8^th April 1941 and the 16^th April 1941. The first raid was to test Belfast’s defences but the second was a large scale raid on the dockyard area where aircraft carrier HMS Furious was slightly damaged while having a refit. With the exception of London the raid was the cause of the greatest loss of life in any one night. The Luftwaffe returned to London on the 19^th April 1941 and many major public buildings were hit and damaged. The raid on London proved to be one of the heaviest of the war with regards to the loss of civilians and homes. On the 24^th April 1941 the communal air-raid shelter at the Portland Square in the city of Plymouth took a direct hit. Seventy-six people were killed and just three people survived. However, the Royal Dockyards at HMNB Devonport was the main target for the Luftwaffe.

Liverpool was subjected to a seven night bombing campaign from the 1^st/7^th May 1941. Sixty nine berths in the docks out of one hundred and forty four were put out of action and Liverpool Cathedral damaged. Thousands of houses were destroyed or damaged making Liverpool the most heavily bombed area of Britain with the exception of London. There were four separate raids by the Luftwaffe on Belfast. Two in April 1941 and the next two in May 1941. The raids in May took place on the 4^th/5^th May 1941 and the 5^th /6^th May 1941. Over the four separate raids 6,300 homes were demolished or badly damaged and another 50,000 required repairing. Nottingham was attacked on the 7^th/8^th May 1941 but the attack was intended for the Rolls-Royce Plant at Derby. The British had produced a counter-measure for the German radio navigation system known as the “X-Gerät Beam”. Damage to Nottingham was minimal with many bombs falling on open farmland. The final large raid on London was on the 10^th/11^th May 1941 and the House of Commons was damaged. However, Hull, Liverpool Belfast and Glasgow were also targeted. The Blitz of Britain ended as Germany shifted its focus toward the invasion of the Soviet Union. The Luftwaffe lost 2,400 aircraft without achieving any of its objectives during the Battle of Britain and the Blitz combined. The casualties were over 86,000 people killed or seriously injured during the Blitz and over one million homes destroyed or damaged. Finally British Prime Minister Winston Churchill when visiting Liverpool at the end of the Blitz stated, “I see the damage done by the enemy attacks but I also see the spirit of an unconquered nation”. A child of the Liverpool Blitz Mrs. Dorothy Laycock, at a later date, summed it up by saying: – “They tried to wipe us off the face of the earth. They nearly did but didn’t quite, did they?”

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SECOND WORLD WAR June 1941

Jun1

SECOND WORLD WAR June 1941

(Britain)

In an effort to reduce the production and consumption of civilian clothes, the Board of Trade’s President Oliver Lyttleton announced on the 1^st June 1941 that rationing was to be introduced. This rationing safeguarded the raw materials and released workers and factory space for war production. Around a quarter of the British population was entitled to wear some sort of uniform as part of the armed forces, therefore raw materials and labour was mostly directed to military uses for the fabrics involved. The “Make Do and Mend” campaign was encouraged to make existing supplies of civilian clothes last longer.

Prime Minister Winston Churchill and the vice chairman of the Council of People’s Commissioner for the Soviet Union Vyacheslav Molotov gave radio speeches to their respective countries announcing the German invasion of the Soviet Union on the 22^nd June 1941. Both leaders agreed they would venture into a joint effort to fight Nazism. (See Germany-Operation Barbarossa)

During the Battle of the Atlantic the British cargo ship Brockley Hill was torpedoed and sank off Greenland by German U-boat U-651 on the 24^th June 1941. U-651 was on her first patrol and commanded by Kapitänleuntant Peter Lohmeyer, when she attacked Convoy HX133. Brockley Hill’s master James Howard and the remaining 41 members of the crew were picked up by merchant ship Sauger. U-651 went on to sink SS Grayburn on the 29^th June 1941 but was sunk on the same day by the convoy escort. U-651‘s career was a short one as she was on her one and only patrol. Her crew were rescued by the Royal Navy and then interrogated by the Admiralty.

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(Germany)

Aged 82 years Kaiser Wilhelm II died of pulmonary embolism at Doorn in the Netherlands on the 4^th June 1941. Wilhelm was the last German Emperor and King of Prussia who abdicated on the 9^th November 1918 just prior to Germany’s defeat in the Great War. Following the abdication he and his family fled into exile in the Netherlands. He was buried in a mausoleum in the grounds of Huis Doorn. A few hundred people attended his funeral.

German and Italian assets were frozen in the United States of America in response to the worsening events in Europe. American President Franklin D. Roosevelt ordered the freezing of the assets of the Axis powers on the 14^th June 1941. With relations deteriorating further between the Axis powers and America, on the 16^th June 1941 Roosevelt ordered the withdrawal of German and Italian consular staffs from the USA by the 10^th July 1941.

Operation Barbarossa was the code name for the German invasion of the Soviet Union which was launched on the 22^nd June 1941. German dictator Adolf Hitler had diverted his armed forces away from Britain in an effort to wipe out the communist regime of the Soviet Union. Although not having achieved air supremacy over Britain and having abandoned a subsequent invasion, Hitler thought Britain was unlikely to recover from the military set-backs she had suffered. He also thought Britain would seek an armistice and then enter into an alliance with Germany against the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was totally unprepared for the furious attack launched over a 2,900 km (1,800 miles) front, despite having been warned by Churchill six weeks previously. Churchill had received intelligence reports from the Balkans regarding the German invasion but the Kremlin responded by stating that Britain was spreading ugly rumours against the Germans. Germany entered a Non-aggression Pact with the Soviet Union in August 1939 which for Hitler, was a devise to buy time to defeat the Western democracies before turning east. Hitler was at the pinnacle of his power and was ready to take on the Soviet Union. He did so in the knowledge that with exception of Britain, most of continental Europe was under German occupation or neutral. With a rapid advance of the German troops they had captured Baltic cities of Kaunas and Vilnius on the 24^th June 1941. German forces occupied Dubno and Lutsk in the south and Baranovichi in the north of the Eastern Front on the 25^th June 1941. By the 28^th June 1941 the Germans had massively encircled Soviet Red Army near Minsk and Bialystok. 0peration Silver Fox was launched on the 29^th June 1941 by Finnish and German forces combined against the Soviet Union. The attack was designed to cut off and capture the key Port of Murmansk and the attack was launched from Finnish and Norwegian territory. Operation Silver Fox ended in November 1941. (See the Eastern Front)

On the 23^rd June 1941 Hitler arrived for the first time at the Wolf’s Lair which was his Eastern Front military headquarters. The top secret high security site was located in the Masaurian woods east of the Prussian town of Rustenburg.

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(Mediterranean Campaign and the Desert War)

During the Siege of Malta on the 1^st June 1941 Air Vice Marshall Forster Maynard was replaced by Air Commodore Hugh Lloyd as Malta’s Air Officer Commanding. After an inspection tour of the island Lloyd realised he had fewer than sixty aircraft in which to defend the island. However, it was his intention to take on the German Luftwaffe. By cannibalising slightly damaged aircraft and sifting through wrecks he was able to obtain spares to keep the remaining aircraft serviceable. When the Luftwaffe departed for the Eastern Front after Germany had undertaken Operation Barbarossa the Italian Regia Aeronautica was left to continue the air campaign against Malta. By mid-June 1941 supplies were beginning to reach Malta and Royal Air Force (RAF) British Hurricane fighter aircraft were arriving in readiness to defend the island.

Vichy France controlled Syria and Lebanon was invaded by the Allies on the 8^th June 1941. The invasion was aimed at preventing Nazi Germany from using the Vichy French controlled Syria and Lebanon for attacks on Egypt. Included in the Allied attack was an Israeli soldier Moshe Dayan who was attached to the Australian-led reconnaissance task force. On the 7^th June 1941, the night before the invasion, Dayan’s unit crossed the border and secured two bridges over the Litani River. As they had not been relieved, as expected on the 8^th June 1941, they assaulted a Vichy police station and captured it. Whilst defending his position a sniper’s bullet struck the binoculars he was using and metal/glass fragments were forced into his left eye. Dayan lost the eye and so badly damaged was the eye socket area that it was not possible for a glass eye to be fitted. He was compelled to wear a black eye patch permanently. Australian troops advancing from British held Palestine entered the Lebanese town of Merdjayoun on the 11^th June 1941. The Australians opposed by badly equipped defenders were soon in control of the town. The majority of the Australians on the 13^th June 1941were diverted north to attack Jezzine in Lebanon in order to advance to Beirut. A small garrison of Australians were left to hold Merdjayoun. Following a strong Vichy French counter-attack the garrison was forced to withdraw on the 15^th June 1941. With the aid of re-enforcements sent as a relief column Allied troops successfully defended the pass back to Palestine and recaptured Merdjayoun on the 24^th June 1941.

During the North African Campaign the British Army launched Operation Battle-Axe on the 15^th June 1941 in an effort to relieve the Siege of Tobruk. The intention was to clear the eastern Cyrenaica of German and Italian troops who were fighting a defensive campaign for the first time in the war. On the first day, the 15^th June 1941 the British lost over half their tanks. The only success was achieved on the second day when they repulsed a big German counter-attack. On the third day the British were forced to withdraw to prevent being encircled by the German. Winston Churchill had expected a complete success and was displeased that Operation Battle-Axe had failed with the loss of most of the tanks sent to support it. On the 22^nd June 1941 Churchill replaced General Sir Archibald Wavell, Commander-in-Chief, Middle East with General Claude Auchinleck, Commander-in-Chief, India. Wavell and Auchinleck were ordered to exchange duties.

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(The Eastern Front)

In Finland on the 9^th June 1941 negotiations brought Germany and Finland together in readiness for possible attack on Soviet Union. Following Operation Barbarossa Finland declared war, on the b 25^th June 1941, against the Soviet Union. On the 29^th June 1941 German and Finnish troops launched an attack against the Soviet Union across the barren northern terrain known as Operation Silver Fox. (See Germany)

In the Baltic the Soviet Union began the first mass deportation of the Lithuanian people which was conducted on the 13th June 1941. The NKVD and NKGB Russian troops based in Lithuania escorted approximately 20,000 deportees on trains to Siberia. These deportees were Lithuanian families who were selected as being Anti-Soviet families. On the 14^th June 1941 similar deportations began with Estonian and Latvian being transferred to Siberia. During Operation Barbarossa, German officially occupied Lithuania from the Soviet Union on the 27^th June 1941 after the Soviet forces had retreated. During the retreat the Soviets massacred between 1,000 and 1,500 mostly ethnic Lithuanian Jews on the 25^th June 1941.

In Hungary on the 26^th June 1941 the city of Kassa was bombed by an unidentified aircraft. The true identity of the attacking aircraft has never been established but there are two possible explanations. The first was that the Soviet aircraft attacked the city by mistake when they were targeting a German radio station in the Slovakian city of Preslov, thirty kilometres north of Kassa. The second was that Germany feigned the bombing to provoke Hungary into attacking the Soviet Union. This attack on Kassa was the pretext for Hungary and Czechoslovakia to declare war on the Soviet Union on the 27^th June 1941.

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(Other Theatres and Areas)

In America, the Tuskegee Airmen were a group of African-American military pilots who were formed on the 2^nd June 1941 into the 99^th Fighter Squadron. This unit consisted of four hundred and twenty nine enlisted men and forty seven officers. Their programme involved primary training at Morton Field then conversion training at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Alabama. The War Department had set up a system to accept those African-American applicants with flight experience or higher education. This ruling ensured the most intelligent applicants were eligible to join.

The United States Army Air Force (USAAF) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army during the Second World War. The USAAF was created on the 20^th June 1941 under the command of General Henry H. Arnold, to amalgamate both the Air Corps and GHQ Air Force. The Air Corps had been the statutory military branch since 1926. GHQ Air Force had developed into an independent force similar to Britain’s Royal Air Force in 1935. However, while Britain and Germany had separate air forces independent of their army or navy, during the Second World War the American Air Force remained a part of the army.

American President Franklin D. Roosevelt became very wary of the increasing aggression of Germany toward the Soviet Union. He made some diplomatic moves to improve U.S./Soviet Union relationships. These relations were soured between the two countries over the Soviet Unions’ aggressive annexing of nearby countries and the changing borders. On the 24^th June 1941, in a press conference speech, Roosevelt opposed Congress regarding the Lend-Lease bill which would give aid to the Allies but would exclude the Soviet Union.

—–

In Ethiopia the British had forced an Italian surrender in May 1941. The Duke of Aosta who was the Italian Viceroy of Ethiopia continued the fight at Assab, the last Italian harbour on the Red Sea. On the 10^th/11^th June 1941 a surprise landing at Assab by the 3/15^thPunjab Regiment secured the pier unopposed. Two Italian Generals were taken prisoner after the Punjabis had landed. The Civil Governor was taken to HMS Dido where he surrendered Assab to the Rear Admiral R.H.C. Halifax who was the Senior Officer Red Sea Force. The Punjabis took five hundred and forty seven prisoners along with the two Generals and thirty five Germans.

Spain under Fransisco Franco during the Second World War was officially a neutral country. In recognition of the assistance of Germany and Italy during the Spanish Civil War Franco wrote to Hitler on the 19^th June 1941 offering to join the war on the Axis side. Franco’s offer was for volunteers to fight on the Eastern Front but not on the Western Front, thereby maintaining neutral status with the Allies. On the 26^th June 1941 Hitler approved of Spanish volunteers and the Blue Division was quickly raised, then sent to Germany for training before serving at the Siege of Leningrad which began in September1941.

The SS Mareeba was an Australian freighter sailing in the Bay of Bombay carrying 5,000 tons of sugar from Batavia to Colombia on the 26^th June 1941. Mareeba was attacked by the German auxiliary cruiser Kormoran and received nine shots to her hull. Several shots hit her engine-room and Mareeba slowly began to sink. A team of German boarding party placed demolition charges to sink her quickly. Mareeba’s forty eight man crew were taken prisoner and taken on board Kormoran who sped away to avoid retaliation for the sinking.

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SECOND WORLD WAR May 1941

May1

SECOND WORLD WAR May 1941

(The Blitz)

Liverpool was subjected to seven nights of bombing that devastated the city. The peak of the bombing was from the 1^st to 7^th May 1941 involving six hundred and eighty one Luftwaffe bombers who dropped 2,135 high explosive bombs and 119 other explosive devices such as incendiary bombs. Of the one hundred and forty four cargo berths in the docks, sixty nine were put out of action inflicting 2,895 casualties. Liverpool Cathedral was damaged and over 6,500 homes completely demolished and a further 190,000 damaged leaving many thousands of people homeless. After the 7^th May 1941 the Luftwaffe air assault diminished as Germany turned their attention toward attacking the Soviet Union. Liverpool was the most heavily area of the country with the exception of London and the final raid was conducted on the 10^th January 1942.

Belfast was attacked by the Luftwaffe on four separate evenings April and May 1941. The third raid during the Belfast Blitz in Northern Ireland took place overnight of the 4^th/5^th May 1941 where incendiary bombs predominated. The total casualty raid was 150 people killed with many more injured. The 4^th and last raid on Belfast took place overnight of the 5^th/6^th May 1941. Over the four separate raids 1,300 homes were demolished, 5,000 badly damaged and 50,000 slightly damaged or required “first aid repairs”.

Nottingham was attacked on the 7^th/8^th May 1941 by Luftwaffe bombers. The Germans had developed a radio navigation system designed for night bombing pf Britain known as the “X-Gerät Beams”, but the British had found a counter-measure to divert the attack away from the main target. The beam had been set to cover the Rolls-Royce Plant at Derby but the Luftwaffe followed the beam to Nottingham. Over one hundred bombers took part in the raid and many bombs fell on open farmland. Two churches and one hotel were destroyed and a further five buildings were damaged. 253 people were killed and 294 injured during the raid. The period when the X-Gerät radio beams aimed at Britain endedwhen the Germans moved their forces to the east in preparation for the invasion of theSoviet Union.

On the 10^th/11^th May 1941 the House of Commons was damaged on the last large raid on London. Other targets were Hull, Liverpool, and Belfast and shipbuilding area of the River Clyde. Germany shifted its focus toward the Soviet Union and the East bringing to an end “The Blitz” on Britain.

Across Britain, by the end of the Blitz, over 40,000 civilians had been killed, 46,000 seriously injured and over one million homes had been damaged or damaged. The Luftwaffe had lost 2,400 aircraft without achieving any of its objective during the Battle of Britain and the Blitz combined,

Finally at the end of the Blitz British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, after visiting Liverpool and the surrounding areas in May 1941 said, “I see the damage done by the enemy attacks, but I also see the spirit of an unconquered people”. To sum it all up we can use the words of Mrs. Dorothy Laycock, a child of the Liverpool Blitz, “They tried to wipe us off the face of the earth. They nearly did but they didn’t quite, did they?”

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(The Mediterranean Campaign and the Desert War)

The Anglo- Iraqi War began on the 2^nd May 1941. The pro-Nazi and nationalist party, who were seeking independence from Britain, had overthrown the pro-British regime in April 1941. This change of government led to a British invasion of Iraq. Substantial Iraqi ground forces were deployed to the plateau overlooking RAF Habbaniya where airstrikes were launched at the RAF station. On the 6^th May 1941 Iraqi troops withdrew from RAF Habbaniya after taking heavy casualties and were overwhelmed by British air supremacy. The five day siege had been lifted by the Royal Air Force’s own resources. Berlin instructed the Luftwaffe to send a small force of aircraft to Iraq on the 6^thMay 1941 and the bulk of the aircraft arrived in Mosul, north of Baghdad on the 13^th May 1941 in order to support the Iraqi government. On the 17^th May 1941 the British Royal Air Force attacked the Iraqis in Fallujah which was secured on the 21^st May 1941. The Iraqi counter-attack was defeated on the 23^rd May 1941. British forces began to advance toward Baghdad on the 27^th May 1941. With no serviceable aircraft available as the British advanced on Baghdad the German military mission fled Iraq on the 29^th May 1941. On the 30^th May 1941, with the British on the outskirts of Baghdad, the Iraqi government fled from Iraq. On 31^st May 1941 the Mayor of Baghdad surrendered and an armistice signed ending the Anglo-Iraqi War.

The Battle of Crete began on the 20^th May 1941 when German paratroopers staged an airborne invasion on the island. This was the first occasion when paratroopers were used en masse as an invasion force. Alongside Cretian civilians were Greek and British defenders who inflicted heavy casualties on the German paratroopers. On the 21^st May 1941, through a combination of communication failures, Allied tactical hesitation and German offensive, Maleme Airfield sited in Western Crete fell. This enabled the Germans to land reinforcements and the Allies withdrew to the southern coast of the island. The British destroyer HMS Juno was bombed and sunk by Italian aircraft southeast of Crete on the 21^st May 1941. Two British cruisers HMS Fiji, HMS Gloucester and destroyer HMS Greyhound was bombed and sunk by the Luftwaffe around Crete on the 22^nd May 1941. The Luftwaffe had further success with bombing and sinking of British destroyers HMS Kashmir and HMS Kelly off Crete on the 23^rd May 1941. The German advance on the island was temporarily halted when the Australian and New Zealand defenders carried out a bayonet charge causing heavy German casualties which forced the Germans briefly to withdraw on the 27^th May 1941. On the same day Archibald Wavell, Commander-in-Chief Middle East, sent a message to Winston Churchill explaining Crete could no longer be defended and troops must be withdrawn. The Chiefs of Staff agreed and ordered the evacuation. From the 28^th May 1941 to the 1^st June 1941 over 18,000 British troops were evacuated to Egypt leaving 12,000 British and Dominion troops and thousands of Greeks on the island when the Germans controlled Crete from the 1^st June 1941.

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(Britain)

During the Battle of the Atlantic a total of sixty three ships were sunk (351,294 tons) with a further three ships damaged (23,992 tons). These ships were lost to German U-boats during the course of May 1941. German submarine U-110 was a member of the Atlantic wolf pack attacking Allied shipping. On the 8^th May 1941 U-110 had successfully sunk two Allied ships but the convey escort destroyer HMS Broadway proceeded to drop depth charges. U-110 was forced to surface and abandon ship. Before the German crew could scuttle U-110 a boarding party from HMS Bulldog entered the ship and discovered her code books and “Enigma” machine. U-110 was taken in tow back to Britain but sank en route to Scapa Flow. The documents captured from U-110 helped Bletchley Park code breakers solve a German cypher code which turned out to be one of the biggest secrets of the war. HMS Hood was patrolling the Bay of Biscay to stop German ships attempting a breakout from Brest when she was ordered to the Norwegian Sea. The Admiralty had received a false report that the German battleship Bismarck had sailed from Germany and Hood was dispatched to Scapa Flow on the 6^th May 1941. When Bismarck sailed for the Atlantic on the 19^th May 1941 she was joined by the heavy cruiser Prinz Eugen and escorted by three destroyers. The Admiralty ordered Hood and battleship HMS Prince of Wales to pursue the German ships before they could break out into the Atlantic and attack Allied shipping. In the early hours of the 24^th May 1941 Hood engaged Prinz Eugen. Bismarck and Prinz Eugen opened fire on Hood which was struck by several German shells which exploded internally causing her to sink within three minutes. Of the 1,418 members of the Hood’s crew only three survived. Prince of Wales received damage from German hits and coupled with mechanical problems she was forced to disengage. However, she managed to hit Bismarck three times who had to head for safety in occupied France where she could be repaired. Bismarck was spotted by the Royal Navy and sunk on the 27^th May 1941. Prinz Eugen had sustained damage but managed to reach occupied France and receive repairs.

Several German cities were attacked on the 12^th May 1941 by the Royal Air Force (RAF) to counter some of the German Luftwaffe raids on Britain. These raids happened despite the radio speech made by Hermann Göring in 1940, “If as much as a single enemy aircraft flies over German soil my name is Meier”. Göring was the Reich Marshall of the Greater German Reich, Germany’s highest rank, and was referring to the Jewish problem. This speech would come back to haunt him when Bomber Command began large scale operations against German targets in 1942.

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(Germany)

On the 10^th May 1941 Deputy Führer Rudolf Hess flew a Messerschmitt Bf 110 to Scotland on a solo peace mission, parachuting into Eaglesham near his objective of Dungavel House after running out of fuel. His self-styled mission was an attempt to negotiate a peace between Britain and Germany. His proposals were for Germany to have a free hand in Europe and Germany respecting the integrity of the British Empire. The British government rejected his proposals and treated him as a prisoner of war for the remainder on the Second World War. Hess had a reputation of total loyalty to future dictator Adolf Hitler who made him deputy party leader in 1933. He was declared second to Hermann Göring in line of succession in 1939. As Hitler became preoccupied by military and foreign policy Hess’s power waned and was further undermined by Martin Bormann and other top Nazi leaders. In an effort to restore his influence Hess flew to Scotland. After the war Hess was tried as a war criminal at the Nuremburg Trials. He was found guilty and sentenced to life imprisonment at Spandau Prison in Berlin. From 1966 he remained the only inmate until his death in 1987.

On the16^th May 1941, in the Western Desert Campaign, German Commander Erwin Rommel’s Afrika Korps troops successfully defeated British troops at Halfaya Pass which is located on the Egyptian/Libyan border. The British had previously attacked through Halfaya Pass and pushed eastwards towards Libya when a German counter/attack forced the British back to Halfaya Pass. The British Scots and Coldstream Guards garrisoned and secured their positions and took control of the Halfaya Pass allowing the remaining British Army to retire back to Egypt. After a period of stalemate the German determined attack on the 26^TH/ 27^TH May 1941 forced the British to abandon the pass.

SS Robin Moor an American merchantman was sunk by German submarine U-69 off Sierra Leone on the 21^st May 1941. She sailed from New York to Mozambique via South Africa carrying a commercial cargo without convoy protection, because at the time America was a neutral country. She sailed under the American flag in an area considered to be relatively safe from U-boats. Robin Moor was stopped by U-69 whose captain had decided to sink her and the nine officers, twenty nine crewmen and eight passengers were allowed to board her four lifeboats. U-69 torpedoed Robin Moor which then sank. The captain of U-69 radioed the lifeboats position and on the 8th June 1941 one lifeboat containing Robin Moor’s captain and ten others were rescued. The other three lifeboats were presumed lost as they were never found. The sinking of a neutral nation’s ship caused a political incident in the United States and U-69’s captain justified his actions by saying the ship has been sunk as she was carrying supplies to German’s enemy.

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(Other Theatres)

In Ethiopia Emperor Haile Selassie entered Addis Ababa, his capital in triumph on the 5^th May 1941. In 1936 Italy had invaded Ethiopia and the Emperor fled the country and lived in exile in the British city of Bath. Italy conquered Ethiopia in 1937. She declared war against the United Kingdom and France in June 1940. From Ethiopia, Italy invaded British Somaliland in August 1940 but the British launched a counter-invasion and the Italians were to go on the defensive in January 1941. The Italian North African War was effectively over by the 6^th April 1941 when the Italian flag was replaced by the Union flag over the Viceroy’s residence. A break-away Italian army led by the Duke of Aosta, Viceroy of Ethiopia continued the fight. He was also the Commander-in-Chief of the Italian army and fierce fighting by the Italians slowed the British counter-invasion. The Italians were besieged by the British and Commonwealth troops and despite fierce Italian resistance, with the lack of water and supplies running low they were forced to surrender at Amba Alagi on the 15^th May 1941. After the proclamation of surrender had been read the Italian army marched away, a British General took the salute and the Allied troops presented arms as accorded by the honours of war. The officers were allowed to keep their firearms whilst being transferred for internment as prisoners-of-war.

At the instigation of the Japanese, a peace agreement was signed between Thailand and France in Tokyo on the 9^th May 1941 officially ending the Franco-Thai War. Some areas of French Indochina had been fought over between Thailand and Vichy France during the Franco-Thai War of 1940 to 1941. Following the Japanese invasion of French Indochina in September 1940 the French were forced to allow Japan to set up military bases enabling Japanese access to Allied Burma. The peace agreement stated that France would relinquish their hold on the disputed border territories with Thailand.

The “Strike of the 100,000” began on 10^th May 1941 in German-occupied Belgium and was led by Julien Lahaut, head of the Belgian Communist Party. The demand of a wage increase was the object of the strike and also a means of passive resistance to the German occupation. Originating in the Cockeril steel works in Eastern Belgium, the news soon spread through the Province of Liége, the industrial Province of Hainaut in the west and the neighbouring areas of Flanders. The national press of the Belgian Resistance gave widespread coverage and the Germans agreed to an 8% increase in wages in order to end the disruption. The strike lasted eight days and ended on the 18^th May 1941.

In America, on the15^th May 1941 the first Civilian Public Service (C.P.S.) camp opened for conscientious objectors. The C.P.S. provided conscientious objectors an alternative to military service and the camps encouraged them to perform work of national importance. Nearly 12,000 draftees unwilling to do any form of military service, were sent to 152 C.P.S. camps from 1941 to the disbanding of the C.P.S. in 1947. However, one conscientious objector who did serve his country, wore the uniform and saluted the flag was Desmond T. Doss who enlisted to become a combat medic. As a conscientious objector he refused to bear arms in combat but instead became a medic with the 77^th Infantry Brigade. For his exceptional valour in rescuing and treating his fellow troops in the Pacific Campaign he was awarded two Bronze Star Medals and the Medal of Honour.

Dublin, the capital of neutral Southern Ireland was attacked by the Luftwaffe on the 31^st May 1941. The attack occurred in the early morning when four bombs fell in the North Strand area of the city. A total of twenty-eight people were killed, ninety civilians were injured and approximately three hundred houses were damaged or destroyed leaving four hundred people homeless. The renamed Connolly Station located in the North Strand Road was the most likely target as streams of refugees were arriving from Belfast following the Luftwaffe raids on that city. It has been suggested the raid by the Luftwaffe was a warning to Southern Ireland to keep out of the war but the suggestion appears never to have been proven.

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Air Raid Damage Reports Brentwood Division Essex Fire Service April 1941.

Apr30

Air Raid Damage Reports Brentwood Division Essex Fire Service April 1941.

Date Time Location Damage

02/04/1941 13.55 Rochford An aeroplane taking off from Rochford Aerodrome

Crashed into a hanger severely injuring 2 men. A/C Dennis Fear No 642065, age 19 and A/C2 Wilkingson. No 922795. Both conveyed to Southend General Hospital where Dennis Fear died 4.4.41. Cause of accident unknown.

04/04/1941 10.45 Grays Hill 1 – A.A. unexploded Shell found in a field adjoining

Harding Elms Road. Time and date of falling not known. No damage or casualties. B.D.S. 5.6.41.

04/04/1941 15.45 Wickford 1 – H.E unexploded found in a field 300 yards East

of Wickford Hall Southend Road. No damage or casualties.

08/04/1941 13.35 Paglesham 1 – A.A. unexploded Shell found 400 yards North

East of East Hall. No damage or casualties.

08/04/1941 23.15 Foulness I.Bs (a number) burnt out at Small Gains Farm.

Island No damage or casualties.

10/04/1941 13.00 Dunton 1 – H.E unexploded was found in a field East of

Berry Lane. No damage or casualties. (disposed of by B.D.S. 10.5.41).

11/04/1941 Mountnessing 1 – A.A. Shell exploded in a field West of St

Anns Cottages, St Anns Lane. No damage or casualties.

13/04/1941 21.00 South Weald 1 – A.A. unexploded Shell found in a field 200

yards from cow shed at Gilstead Hall. No damage or casualties.

14/04/1941 South Weald 1 – A.A. unexploded Shell found in a field 300

yards West of Spital Lane and 500 yards North of A.12. No damage or casualties. (disposed of by B.D.S. 28.4.41).

14/04/1941 15.50 Wickford 3 – H.Es exploded on open ground 100 yards East

of junction of Sugden Avenue and London Road. No damage or casualties.

15/04/1941 Ingrave 1 – H.E exploded found in Forty-five field, 30

yards South East of pond at Clemoes Farm, Thorndon Park. No damage or casualties.

16/04/1941 21.30 Childerditch 10 – H.Es exploded in fields between the Village

Hall and Hall Lane. 1 cow injured. Slight damage to property.

16/04/1941 21.30 Little 1 – H.E exploded in Dunton Road, 200 yards East

Burstead of Calvers Farm. Road blocked. No casualties.

16/04/1941 21.50 Canvey 3 – H.Es exploded near Beech House Promenade

Island East, 2 on foreshore and 1 100 yards North of sea wall. Considerable damage to jetty, overhead electric cables and to property. No casualties.

16/04/1941 Little Warley 3 – A.A. unexploded Shells, 1 100 yards East of

Hall Lane and 100 yards North of L.M.S. railway, 1 150 yards East of Hall Lane and 40 yards North East of pond in field and 1 300 yards West of Hall Lane and 400 yards North on L.M.S. railway (all disposed of by B.D.S. 9.5.41).

16/04/1941 21.60 Mountnessing 2 – H.Es exploded, 1/4 mile South of

Mountnessing Hall Farm and 100 yards North of Railway and 1 on Sewerage Farm. Extensive damage to sewer main and sprinklers. No casualties.

17/04/1941 02.10 Wickford I.Bs (about 100) burnt out between the junction of

Nevendon Road and Park Drive. Slight damage to property. No casualties.

17/04/1941 02.15 Wickford 1 – H.E. exploded in a field 100 yards North of

Railway Arch and South of Third Avenue, Shotgate. No damage or casualties.

17/04/1941 02.25 Hockley I.Bs (a number) burnt out in Great Bullwood, 1

mile South of Wardens Post N.4. No damage or casualties.

18/04/1941 05.00 Canewdon 3 – H.Es exploded in fields 1/4 mile North West of

Bolt Hall. No damage or casualties.

19/04/1941 21.30 Vange I.Bs (about 50) burnt out at Gales Corner

Timberlog Lane. Damage by fire to a small factory, a house and sheds. Telephone wires down at junction of Gordon Road. 1 slight casualty.

19/04/1941 21.30 Brentwood I.Bs (a number) at the Barracks, Gt. Warley and

Mental Hospital grounds. No damage or casualties.

19/04/1941 21.30 Thundersley 1 – H.E. exploded at Longfords Crescent, 1

unoccupied bungalow wrecked. No casualties.

19/04/1941 21.35 South 1 – Paramine unexploded 500 yards from East end

Benfleet of Highcliffe Road. Parachute at Canvey Island. Police Station (exploded 22.4.41 by B.D.S.). No damage or casualties.

19/04/1941 21.40 Laindon 2 – H.Es exploded at Albert Drive, 4 bungalows

badly damaged and several slightly damaged. 1 slight casualty. Several persons suffering from shock.

19/04/1941 21.40 Wallasea 11 – H.Es exploded in fields 200 yards South of

Grass Farm. No damage or casualties.

19/04/1941 21.45 Laindon 4 – H.Es exploded 2 between Victoria and Milton

Avenues and 2 at Dunton Drive. Extensive damage to Rose Cottage. Slight damage to Belvedere and other property. Water main fractured. Several persons suffering from shock.

19/04/1941 21.45 Pilgrims 1 – H.E. exploded in Lower Crow Green Road. No

Hatch damage or casualties.

19/04/1941 21.48 Laindon 1 – H.E. exploded in Elmore Crescent (unclassified

road closed). Gas main fractured. No casualties. (road open 16.4.41).

19/04/1941 21.55 Mountnessing 2 – Parachute mines exploded 1 in mid-air

at Swallows Cross. No casualties. Severe damage to property and telephone wires. Parachute and tail cap found painted green with No 3226 in yellow.

19/04/1941 22.00 Childerditch 2 – Para mines, 1 exploded in meadow on Jury Hill

and 1 unexploded on North side of Arterial Road. A.127. 10 yards from road, 300 yards East of Little Warley cross roads (exploded 21.4.41). No damage or casualties. (road open 23.5.41).

19/04/1941 22.10 Brentwood 2 – Para mines exploded, 1 in Sawyers Hall Lane

and 1 at Cocoran’s Farm, Bishops Hall Estate. Extensive damage to unoccupied farm property and other property. No casualties. Tail caps found.

19/04/1941 22.14 Rochford 2 – Para mines exploded near Costed Hall.

Damage to property. No casualties. Tail caps found marked with green lettering Nos 3241 and 3231 both 2 1/2 miles from water-ways.

19/04/1941 22.15 Great 2 – Para mines exploded West of Vicarage Lane

Wakering and 400 yards North of High St. 2 slight casualties. Slight damage to property. Tail caps and parachutes in possession of the Police. Tail caps black with figures 19 in green stencil and the word NARVI in chalk.

19/04/1941 22.30 Laindon 1 – H.E. unexploded in a field 400 yards East of

Partridge Farm and 300 yards South of Dry Street. No damage or casualties.

19/04/1941 22.30 Billericay 2 – H.Es exploded in field 200 yards West of Acors

Farm Kennel Lane. No damage or casualties.

19/04/1941 Hutton 1 – A.A. unexploded Shell in a field adjoining

Challacombe Close. No damage or casualties. (dealt with by BDS 5.5.41).

19/04/1941 22.40 Pitsea I.Bs (about 50) between Glenhurst Avenue and

Rosetown Drive. Damage by fire at “Corborie” Rectory Road and 19 Chelvedon Avenue. No casualties.

19/04/1941 22.40 South 2 – Para mines exploded on open ground North

Fambridge West of pumping station, Fambridge Road. Slight damage to property. No casualties.

19/04/1941 22.45 Basildon 2 – H.Es exploded 1 in Cleveland Road and 1 in

Marlborough Road. 2 houses demolished and extensive damage to other property. Gas main damaged. No casualties.

19/04/1941 22.48 Canvey 1 – H.E. exploded on Scar Elbow Farm between

Island the gas compressor and Kynoch’s Hotel. No damage or casualties.

19/04/1941 23.05 Nevendon I.Bs (a number) in field near Felmore’s Farm. No

damage or casualties.

19/04/1941 23.10 Great Warley 1 – H.E. exploded in field between Thatchers Arms

P.H. and Warley Lodge. Slight damage to property. No casualties.

19/04/1941 Raweth 1 – H.E. exploded in Pear Tree Meadow, Fox’s

Farm. No damage or casualties.

20/04/1941 03.15 Canvey Roof and doors of “Redferne Lodge” damaged by

Island shrapnel. No casualties.

20/04/1941 03.15 Canvey 2 – H.Es exploded in fields between Winter

Island Gardens and Waterside Farm. No damage or casualties.

20/04/1941 03.15 Wickford 6 – H.Es exploded in line from East end of Brown’s

Ave, to Senfield Drive. 1 fatal casualty (Frederick Brickdell 33 years.) 4 serious and 3 slight casualties. Several persons suffering from shock, 6 houses wrecked and a number badly damaged. Brown’s Avenue blocked. Fire broke out but was extinguished. Electric and telephone wires down. A number of persons rendered homeless.

20/04/1941 04.10 Shenfield 2 – H.Es exploded in Hall Lane 1/4 mile North East

of Searchlight Station. No damage or casualties.

20/04/1941 04.10 South Weald 1 – Para mine exploded in field adjoining the

Poplars Farm, Brook Street. Extensive damage to property. Several persons rendered homeless. 2 lambs killed. Parachute at Brentwood Police Station.

20/04/1941 04.10 Brentwood 4 – H.Es, 1 exploded and 3 unexploded. The

unexploded near L.N.E.R. between Kavanaghs and Mascalls Bridges, 1 16 yards South of track, 1 150 yards South and 1 25 yards North of track about 250 yards East of Mascalls Bridge. The exploded H.E. 400 yards West of Kavanaghs Bridge and 200 yards South of track. (disposed of B.D.S. 29.4.41). No damage or casualties.

20/04/1941 Little Warley 1 – A.A. unexploded Shell in ploughed field 25

yards West of L.M.S.R. and 50 yards North of Orchard Cottage, Hall Lane. No damage or casualties. (disposed of B.D.S. 9.5.41).

20/04/1941 Wickford 1 – A.A. unexploded Shell 50 yards from Railway

Arch at Fanton Hall. No damage or casualties. (dealt with by B.D.S. 8.5.41).

21/04/1941 Langdon 1 – H.E unexploded 20 yards North of junction on

Hills Park and Nightingale Avenues. No damage or casualties. (Disposed of by B.D.S. 30.4.41).

21/04/1941 Great 1 – H.E. unexploded near sewer beds at Barlylands

Burstead Farm. No damage or casualties. (dealt with B.D.S. 9.5.41).

21/04/1941 Barling 1 – A.A. unexploded Shell in garden at Bolts Farm

Cottage. No damage or casualties. (disposed of BDS 30.4.41).

24/04/1941 Great Warley 1 – H.E. exploded in field behind Mangrove

Cottages Warley Road. No damage or casualties.

25/04/1941 East 1 – H.E. unexploded in field 50 yards South of

Horndon Station Road. No damage or casualties. (disposed of BDS 10.5.41).

25/04/1941 Little Warley 1 – A.A. unexploded Shell in field adjoining Hall

Lane opposite Rectory Chase. No damage or casualties. (Disposed of B.D.S. 17.5.41).

28/04/1941 Raweth 1 – H.E unexploded in field 1/4 mile South East of

Dallymans Farm. No damage or casualties. (disposed of BDS 5.5.41).

28/04/1941 Little Warley 1 – A.A. unexploded Shell in a ploughed field East

of Hall Lane. 100 yards from Hall Lane and 20 yards from North side of field. No damage or casualties.

The Bay Museum & Research Facility

Category Archives: World War II

Air Raid Damage Reports Brentwood Division Essex Fire Service August 1941.

Benham letter 20 August 1941

SECOND WORLD WAR August 1941

Air Raid Damage Reports Brentwood Division Essex Fire Service July 1941.

SECOND WORLD WAR July 1941

Air Raid Damage Reports Brentwood Division Essex Fire Service June 1941.

THE BLITZ

SECOND WORLD WAR June 1941

SECOND WORLD WAR May 1941

Air Raid Damage Reports Brentwood Division Essex Fire Service April 1941.