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Author Archives: secondbysecond
This week in the War, 9–15 June 1941: Eighty-eights blunt Battleaxe in Hellfire Pass
If the Luftwaffe had the Messerschmitt 109, and the Kriegsmarine the U-boat, then the German army could surely claim the eighty-eight millimetre anti-tank (originally anti-aircraft) gun. It was the weapon that never lost its edge. Diverting resources for an expeditionary … Continue reading
Posted in World War II
Tagged 88mm, Eighty-eight, Frank Messervy, Halfaya Pass, Hellfire Pass, Operation Battleaxe
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Vignette: Les amants de Carcassonne—The Lovers of Carcassonne
If your taste in poetry is inclined towards the pure and noble, but at the same time, tragic, you need look no further than France’s Joë Bousquet (1897–1950). He was born in Narbonne, in the land of the Cathars and … Continue reading
Posted in Book, Vignette, World War II
Tagged bande dessinee, Carcassonne, Joe Bousquet, LF Bollee, Linette, Luca Malisan
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This week in the War, 2–8 June 1941: The Syria-Lebanon Campaign
On 8 June 1941, British, Commonwealth and Free French forces invaded Syria and Lebanon to attack the Vichy-French garrisons. The aim was to prevent the German army and Luftwaffe from developing bases that would threaten the British hold on Egypt. … Continue reading
Posted in World War II
Tagged Colin Smith, Darlan, Dewoitine fighter, England's Last War Against France, Jumbo Wilson, Lebanon, Marcel Bloch bomber, Paris Protocols, Syria, Vichy
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This week in the War, 26 May–1 June 1941: Sink the Bismarck!
“Sink the Bismarck, at any cost,” was the order that Winston Churchill gave to the Royal Navy when the world’s most powerful battleship was on the rampage in the North Atlantic. After a long and harrowing chase, Churchill’s wish was … Continue reading
Posted in Movie
Tagged Bismarck, Churchill, HMS Hood, HMS Prince of Wales, Operation Rheinubung, Prinz Eugen, Swordfish
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In the news: Memorial Day 2013
We honour our troops and veterans on Memorial Day, Monday 27 May 2013. The above photograph shows Explosive Protection Military Working Dog Whiskey relaxing between the feet of his handler. The use of dogs in warfare goes back to ancient … Continue reading
Book review: Crete, and Consequences
If the span from pre-war to post-Thatcher Britain is a period of time and a setting that would interest you, then read Consequences—by Booker Prize-winner Penelope Lively. Penelope Lively’s literary gem is both love story and a story of a family … Continue reading
This week in the War, 19–25 May 1941: The invasion of Crete
On the morning of 20 May 1941, waves of Junkers 52s flew across the Mediterranean Sea and disgorged thousands of German paratroopers onto the Greek island of Crete. Coloured parachutes had been issued to officers, black for other ranks, and … Continue reading
Posted in Book
Tagged Antony Beevor, Bernard Freyberg, Crete, Junkers 52, Operation Market Garden, Operation Overlord, Ultra
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