Category Archives: World War II

This week in the War, 23–29 September 1940: Rose Valland—portrait of a heroine

Posted on September 26, 2012 by secondbysecond

This week in the war, on 24 September 1940, Mademoiselle Rose Valland received a grant of 10,000 francs to conduct research into art. Her adventures are described in Rose Valland: Capitaine Beaux Arts (Dupuis, 2009), a captivating book by Catel, Polack … Continue reading →

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Vignette: Lumberjills of WWII—The Women’s Timber Corps

Posted on September 23, 2012 by secondbysecond

‘Jack and Jill went up the hill…’  If this took place in Britain’s woodlands during WWII and if Jill was a Lumberjill, then she wouldn’t be in search of water but of trees to fell, load onto trucks, and drive … Continue reading →

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In the news: Giant Messerschmitt found off the coast of Sardinia

Posted on September 18, 2012 by secondbysecond

According to the British newspaper The Telegraph (13 September 2012) a team of Italian researchers led by Cristina Freghieri recently discovered a Messerschmitt 323 Gigant (Giant) some 200 feet below the surface of the Mediterranean. The enormous aircraft had been shot … Continue reading →

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This week in the War, 16–22 September 1940: ‘Hope & Glory’, and the City of Benares

Posted on September 16, 2012 by secondbysecond

As a boy, I loved Saturday matinees at the ‘pictures’—the ‘movie house’ as Americans would say. Give me a bag of sweets and I was all set for a couple of hours of Hopalong Cassidy. John Boorman’s movie Hope and … Continue reading →

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In the news: Hitler shop opens (and closes) in India

Posted on September 14, 2012 by secondbysecond

Who would think that Nazi Germany and British India—the Third Reich and the ‘Jewel in the Crown’—would have the slightest thing in common? Mahatma Gandhi’s famous letter to Hitler (below) represents one of the few and little known connections. Until … Continue reading →

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This week in the War, 9–15 September 1940: Luftwaffe bombs Buckingham Palace

Posted on September 11, 2012 by secondbysecond

This week in the war saw the bombing of Buckingham Palace. Queen Elizabeth (mother of the current queen) famously remarked that she was glad it happened because she would be able to “look the East End in the face.” (The … Continue reading →

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Vignette: The art of Jean-Pierre Gibrat—The Flight of the Raven

Posted on September 5, 2012 by secondbysecond

One day, if I write a spy story set in Nazi-occupied Paris, with a bright young heroine named… Maybe her name doesn’t matter, but I would definitely write a scene where she escapes over the rooftops exactly as Jean-Pierre Gibrat’s … Continue reading →

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This week in the War, 2–8 September 1940: destroyers for bases

Posted on September 4, 2012 by secondbysecond

On 3 September 1940 (the anniversary of Britain’s entry into WWII), Britain signed an agreement to receive 50 WWI destroyers from the United States. Some American and British sailors are shown here inspecting depth charges, with destroyers in the background. … Continue reading →

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This week in the War, 26 Aug–1 Sept 1940: London on alert

Posted on September 1, 2012 by secondbysecond

This week in the war saw the first all-night alert in London, 26 August 1940. The Luftwaffe launched a number of night attacks on the city that week. The picture to the left shows one of the platforms of the … Continue reading →

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In the news: The ship’s bell

Posted on August 25, 2012 by secondbysecond

The chips are down. If Microsoft co-founder, Paul G. Allen, gets his way, he and his ROV-equipped yacht will soon set sail to recover the ship’s bell from HMS Hood. [FYI: ROV = Remotely Operated Vehicle]. HMS Hood, one of … Continue reading →

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