On This Day ... in 1940 & Others
1940: The wreck of the Admiral Graf Spee was sold to a ‘local company’ for scrap, having been scuttled after the Battle of the River Plate . The hulk, resting in 20 feet of water ,was slowly sinking into the muddy seabed.
Only later did it become clear that the ‘local company’ was in fact a front for the British Embassy which wanted access to the wreck for intelligence purposes.
To this end, technicians had been flown in to assess in particular, the capabilities of German maritime radar. Much of this equipment was removed and shipped back to Great Britain for further examination.
1944: In Anzio, Italy, the Allies fend off a German attack on their right flank.
1952: The island of Heligoland was restored to Germany. In 1807 it was seized by the British during the Napoleonic wars and given up by them to Germany in 1890. It was utilised as a major naval base under the German Empire during the First World War and again during World War Two.
On 18 April 1945 over a thousand Allied bombers attacked the islands. 128 people (mostly anti-aircraft crews) were killed and the civil population (having been protected by rock shelters) were evacuated straight after the raid. The Royal Navy detonated 6,800 tons (6,909 metric tons) of explosives on 18 April 1947 in a concerted attempt to completely destroy the main island, and whilst military installations were destroyed, most of the island remained.
In 1952 the islands were restored to the German authorities, who had to clear huge amounts of un-detonated ammunition before it could be reinhabited.
Comments
Just another example of perfidious Albion... or, as you lot would say, "British ingenuity".
Posted by: Kim du Toit | February 29, 2008 5:19 PM