World War 2 Rumours January 5, 2018
Author: Beach Combing | in : Contemporary , trackback
Beach is continuing to hunt down rumours, this time from the British press in the Second World War. Here are some global and some local, some silly and some worryingly credible. All were published with the implication being that they are not to be believed and yet were they so far off the mark? The lesson here seems to be that if we find ourselves in another war, rumours are probably not the worst source of information. Found WW2 rumours generally less ingenious and interesting than their Great War equivalents. The picture at the head of this post is a magnificent shot of British marines breaking out at Sword 6 June 1944.
29 Aug 1935 Mustard gas being secretly prepared in Bristol, housewives could smell it [West Press]
3 Dec 1936 Germany declares war on USSR [York Post]
27 Mar 1939 Germany rushes troops into Italian Libya [Grimsby]
8 Aug 1936 Ridiculous rumours that German troops being rushed to Spain as the civil war began [Ports Eve News]
19 Sep 1939 Lord Londonderry interned as an enemy alien! [Hart Echo]
22 Sep 1939 Bremen liner captured by Royal Navy [Daily Herald]
17 May 1940 Rumours that French gov’t wants to evacuate Paris [Birm Daily Post]
4 Jun 1940 Rumours that British soldiers out of Dunkirk have been left to sleep in the street [West Dail Press]
21 Jun 1940 Duke of Windsor to be arrested! [West Mail]
24 Jun 1940 Absurd rumours that Soviet Union massing troops for attack on Germany [North Whig]
3 Aug 1940 Parisians talk of special RAF powder that causes German planes to explode [Birm Daily Gazette]
20 Nov 1940 Mussolini ill [Not Ev Post]
27 Dec 1940 Absurd rumour that some shelters have been sealed with dead bodies in after direct hit [Warwick Advert]
8 Mar 1941 Russian demands ports from Romania on the Black Sea [Liv Daily]
26 Mar 1941 Rumours about sealed bodies in destroyed shelters and fires to guide German bombers [York Post]
30 Jul 1941 20,000 American troops in Egypt! [Glouc Echo]
25 Sep 1941 British attack French possession Jabouti [25 Sep 1941]
15 Sep 1942: Gunner court-martialled for downing a German bomber without permission [West Mor News]
21 Oct 1942 Axis activity in Liberia [Sund Echo]
14 Mar 1943 Rumours about Hilter’s illness [Sund Post]
22 May 1943 Serious Spanish Naval Mutiny [Liv Even Express]
21 Jun 1943 Italy negotiation for surrender in N. Africa [Daily Record]. Strangely prophetic this one.
2 Aug 1943 German and Italian workers celebrate fall of Mussolini in Berlin [Not Ev Post]
4 Aug 1944 An unstated rumour about Montgomery messing up in Normandy [Not Ev Post]
9 Jun 1945 A Labour gov’t would bring troops home quicker [Birm Mail]
Other WW2 rumours: ridiculous or all too feasible, drbeachcombing AT yahoo DOT com
28 Feb 2018: David O writes in “27 Dec 1940 Absurd rumour that some shelters have been sealed with dead bodies in after direct hit [Warwick Advert]”
I wonder if this might be a slightly garbled retelling of the South Hallsville School Disaster. The dates fit I think.
