#OTD 1944 "12.30 am special announcement with German claims of invasion. 3rd R/O Colin Thomas wakened me that invasion confirmed on French Brittany coast. No doubt this would have involved the Invasion Barges we earlier carried as cargo." #wwii#wwiibooks https://t.co/g77eim4iU3
2 Jun 1944 #Haiti “Naval ship escorted us out to sea. We failed to get papers with sailing instructions & codes before leaving #PortAuPrince so they were literally dropped to us from a US Naval Airship or ‘Blimp’ after joining the convoy." #wwii#wwiibooks https://t.co/g77eim4iU3
#OTD 1944 Freetown “We dropped anchor & 'bumboats' arrived. Single-seat hollowed tree trunk canoes. Locals begged for clothing & If a coin was thrown down, they dived into the shark-infested water, resurfacing with it clenched in their teeth.” Art. A Gross https://t.co/g77eim4iU3
#OTD 1940 “Rec'd fresh orders to proceed to Falmouth. The fighting at Dunkirk was going on, and hanging over the French coast was a huge pall of black smoke. We eventually left in convoy with only two other ships and a naval escort.” #wwiibooks#fathersday https://t.co/g77eim4iU3
#OTD 1941 “The day after I intercepted a message from the damaged #SSFelix saying, ‘still afloat’, I received news of the sinking of #HMSHood off #Greenland by the German battleship #Bismarck. Only 3 survivors of the 1,418 souls on-board.” #wwii#wwiibooks https://t.co/g77eim4iU3
#OTD 1945 “Entered Newfoundland Banks by 6pm & St. Lawrence section of convoy broke-off. Heard that a total of thirty-seven U-Boats had now surrendered & a US news report stated a Japanese submarine had been captured after 2 crew committed Hari Kiri. #wwii https://t.co/g77eim4iU3
#OTD 1940 - An amazing 70yrs after this newspaper first lined a drawer in her #Crieff home, the owner recognised the face on the headline and told her daughter, who in turn knew the author’s younger son from school, and it was passed on. #wwii#wwiibooks https://t.co/g77eim4iU3
OTD 1945 “Message received from #U190 via #CapeRace Radio. On re-transmission of their coordinates, U-Boat #U190 subsequently surrendered the same day (Friday 11th) to Canadian Navy HMCS #Victoriaville off CapeRace, #Newfoundland.” #wwiibooks#merchantnavy https://t.co/g77eim4iU3
#OTD 1945 “Learned the SS #AvondalePark was torpedoed on day of surrender off the northeast coast. Sadly, two crewmen were killed. Surrender of both the German Forces in the Channel Islands and quisling in Norway. Island of Crete taken." #wwiibooks#VEDay https://t.co/g77eim4iU3
8 May 1945 “I continued listening to broadcasts of people celebrating in the streets of the UK until 2 am, and felt very much out of it! Less than two hours later I took down a Marconigram message marked ‘Immediate’ from Admiralty.” #wwii#wwiibooks#VEDay https://t.co/g77eim4iU3
7 May 1945 “Germans signed Surrender & Adm. Doenitz recalled all U-Boats. Revealed Goebbels, his wife and family died from poisoning. Next day, message intercepted reporting sighting of U-Boats on the surface at 49.00 N, 28.00 W.” #wwii#wwiibooks#VEDay https://t.co/g77eim4iU3
6 May 1945 “On Sunday, I heard Land’s End radio calling St. Peter Port #Guernsey in the #ChannelIsles with a message, requesting their ‘surrender’! Also heard, was a message from Prague in Czechoslovakia asking the allies for assistance." #wwii#wwiibooks https://t.co/g77eim4iU3
20/4 1944 “Left #LochEwe, Next day met convoy of 116 ships, 2 with a single plane ejection system. Unable to land on deck so recovered by onboard crane. 26/4 heard distress message off Eire, ship being chased by U-boat before being torpedoed.” wwiibooks https://t.co/g77eim4iU3
@goodreads Hoping to finish writing, 'Move Along Nothing to See Here' (East End to Far East, the Dark Side & Beyond'. W.P. Anderson's Memoir of an Accidental Cop - Glasgow, Hong Kong, Middle East, Far East, Indian & Pacific Oceans, gangs, piracy, foreign fighters and the missing. Out soon.
@Waterstones Make space for ... 'Move Along Nothing to See Here' (East End to Far East, the Dark Side & Beyond'. W.P. Anderson's Memoir of an Accidental Cop - Glasgow, Hong Kong, Middle East, Far East, Indian & Pacific Oceans, gangs, piracy, foreign fighters and the missing. Out soon.
15 Apr 1940 “We were on a zig-zag course to hinder U-boat attack. Coming upon a small trawler, we also sighted what appeared to be some kind of vessel which turned-out to be the stern-half of a tanker damaged by a mine or a torpedo.” #wwii#wwiibooks https://t.co/g77eim4iU3
#OTD 1942 “U-Boats active along US coast so directed closer to land through #CapeCod Canal. Keeping inside of #LongIsland, we proceeded down the #EastRiver, under several bridges to safety of #NYC harbour where we docked." #wwii#wwiibooks#merchantmarine https://t.co/g77eim4iU3