Pre WWII 20,000 London families owned a television set. In London, on 9/1/1939 in the middle of a Mickey Mouse cartoon, a printed message came unto the television screen. It said that all children and mothers with babies should evacuate London immediately. After the announcement, the world’s first television station closed down and didn’t reopen until several years after the war. Stalcup, p. xiii
RE driving during blackouts, “…after a while there were special hoods for headlights and for flashlights that made it easier to get around after dark. Soon “cat’s eyes” were invented. Two glass balls the size of marbles were set into each side of a flexible rubber casing. Placed on the center line of the busiest roads, they reflected the dim light from the hooded headlights. They made driving so much safer on Britain’s winding roads, and from the air they were invisible.” Stalcup, p. 5
Radar was invented in Britain in 1935. It was called “radio location” at first, but in 1943, scientists in the United States who had been working to further develop it changed the name to “radar”, for “radio detection and ranging”. The Nazis did not have radar, or anything similar, so it’s invention was a tremendous advantage for Britain. Stalcup, p.39
Families were asked (by the British govt.) to gather together all the old junk they could find and scatter it on fields and golf courses so that enemy aircraft, especially the tiny gliders, couldn’t land. The countryside looked awful littered with old cars, beds, prams, chairs and other rubbish. Stalcup, p.45
The church bells rang for the first time in six years at 11AM on 5/7/1945 when it was announced that Germany had surrendered. During the war church bells were to ring only if an invasion occurred. Stalcup, p. 76
Check out “Winterbotham” in 1973?
On 9/3/1939 “…a private plane was on its way home across the channel from France and was thought to be an enemy aircraft.” First incident of air raid sirens… Wittkower, p. 11
Gas masks for pets- covering their heads with a water soaked towel. Wittkower, p.19
“Fortunately, we never had to use the gas masks. Apparently, Adolph Hitler was gassed during the WWI and was frightened of retaliation, had he used it on us.” Wittkower, p. 19
Check out Diana payne “After the battle, Breaking Enigma” Plaistow Press magazines, Ltd. London E15 3JA 1982
Check out Vera Laughton Matthews- chief of the WRNS
The British had experience at intercepting the secret messages of their enemies which stretched back more than 600 years to 1324. Smith, p.7
The Zimmermann Telegram was written by the German Foreign Minister Arthur Zimmermann to the Mexican government who suggested that Mexico should join in on WWI if they expected the Axis to help them take back New Mexico, Texas and Arizona. This was deciphered by Nigel de Grey, the “Dormouse” in Room 40 in 1917. The telegram message was published in the papers and was a great cause of the US entering the WWI.
Winston Churchill set up “Room 40” in the Old Admiralty building (Navy), the War Office (Army) set up “MI1b” both during WWI
August 1943 Danish navy sunk their own ships to keep the approaching (and soon to occupy) German forces from using them.
Jewish New Year 1943 Jews were warned by the rabbi that they would soon be “relocated” by the Germans. The rabbi was informed of this fact by G.F. Duckwitz, a high ranking German official with a heart. The majority of the Jewish community heeded the warning and fled to their Christian friends and neighbors who hid them until they could be transported to Sweden. Approximate number of Jewish Danes smuggled to Sweden is 7000. Lowry, p. 135.
“After the began to use police dogs to sniff out hidden passengers on the fishing boats, Swedish scientists worked swiftly to prevent such detection. They created a powerful powder composed of dried rabbit’s blood and cocaine; the blood attracted the dogs and when they sniffed at it, the cocaine numbed their noses and destroyed, temporarily, their sense of smell. Almost every boat captain used such a permeated handkerchief, and many lives were saved by the device. Lowry, p.136.
