Tag: Francis Suttill

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Meyer’s Bugle

By 1944, the war wasn’t going well for Hitler and his military. In fact, a year earlier, people began reaching the conclusion that Germany might eventually lose the war. How was it that within less than five years after conquering almost all of Europe that Hitler’s armies, navy, and air force were on a downward spiral toward defeat? There were many reasons including what historians now chalk up to the Führer’s military decisions that were huge strategic mistakes. However, during the early years of World War II, it seemed as though the German juggernaut was invincible and leading the pack was Hermann Göring’s Luftwaffe (i.e., the German air force).

Göring was so confident of his pilots and planes and their supremacy in the sky that he vowed Germany would never be bombed. Addressing the Luftwaffe when the German air force was at the peak of its power, the antisemitic and future generalfeldmarschall and Hitler’s second-in-command made this promise to the German people:

“No enemy bomber can reach the Ruhr (valley). If one reaches the Ruhr, my name is not Göring. You may call me Meyer.”

⏤ Hermann Göring

      September 1939

As Allied air forces increased their bombing activities over Berlin and the Ruhr Valley in early 1944, air raid sirens in the city were going off on a nightly basis. It didn’t take long for Berliners to begin calling the sirens, “Meyer’s Bugle.”

Did You Know?

Did you know that the last surviving female agent of the British-led Special Operations Executive (SOE) passed away in October 2023? Phyllis “Pippa” Latour, MBE (1921−2023) was born in South Africa to a French father and British mother. She spoke fluent English and French along with Arabic, Swahili, and Kikuyu. After war broke out, Phyllis joined the British Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) and became a balloon operator and mechanic. In 1943 she applied to and was accepted by the SOE’s F Section. Dropped into Normandy, France in early May 1944 as a wireless operator, Phyllis (nom de guerre: Geneviève) was part of the D-Day underground support forces behind enemy lines and she was responsible for gathering and transmitting intelligence on German positions as well as landing sites for equipment air drops. Read More Meyer’s Bugle

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Operation Bernhard

One of the most effective resistance activities during World War II was forging identification documents (click here to read the  blog, If I Sleep, Thirty People Die). However, Allied intelligence operations, resistance fighters in occupied countries, and foreign agents were not the only ones engaged in forgery activities. The Germans set-up forgery operations inside a concentration camp to counterfeit British currency. Using camp labor, the idea was to mass produce bank notes and drop them into England where economic collapse would occur. None of the fake money reached its destination and needless-to-say, the Germans were disappointed the desired effects never materialized.

This is the story of how Jewish inmates expertly forged enough money to force the British government to issue newly designed currency after the war.

I will be the guest speaker for Bonjour Paris on 6 December 2023 for a Zoom presentation to their members and others. The topic will be “Walking History: In the Footsteps of Marie Antoinette” and I will take you on a walk along the exact route in Paris that the queen’s tumbrel took to the guillotine. I invite you to join us for the discussion and slide show.

Bonjour Paris (click here to visit the web-site) is a digital website dedicated to bringing its members current news, travel tips, culture, and historical articles on Paris. I have been a member for more than ten years and have found its content to be quite interesting, practical, and entertaining.

 I will have a direct link to sign up for my presentation at a later date. There is no cost to Bonjour Paris members and €10,00 for non-members. The time of the live presentation on 6 December will be 11:30 AM, east coast time.

Did You Know?

Did you know that prior to World War II, Halloween wasn’t about costumes, candy, or parties? No, it was all about vandalism. Apparently, back then, kids (and some adults) seemed to embrace Halloween’s dark side. Some research (not mine) has concluded that the war changed how Halloween was “celebrated” in America. In 1942, children’s parties were organized by community organizations, places of worship, and school groups. While candy was absent (sugar was rationed), the kids dressed up in costumes and Halloween parades were held. (Any of you remember dressing up for school and competing in the best costume parade? ⏤ I never won.) Read More Operation Bernhard