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On December 7, 1941, the Japanese launched an assault on Pearl Harbor. To most Hawaiians, December 7, 1941 was a peaceful Sunday. At 8:00 A.M., People were awake, laid back and were enjoying their day on the island. Unbeknown to many Hawaiians, when they heard guns going off and huge explosions were sounding from Pearl Harbor that they were under attack. A man named Ronald Oba was a writer at Times Magazine and wrote an article about his experiences that fateful day. He said that he was enjoying the sunny morning and as the eldest son of his family of Japanese immigrant, he was awarded pancakes. He thought that when he heard gun noises and shells going off, he thought that it was just the standard military exercise that day. He saw the Battleship Arizona, Battleship West Virginia and Battleship California go up in flames. As a Zero hugged the ground flying pass him, he saw the pilot looking down at him and saw the Japanese “Rising Sun” logo. Many people on Hawaii no longer trusted the Japanese-Americans on the island. The village elders decided to burn anything that linked back with their ancestral homeland. These included swords, photos of the Emperor, flags, and even shortwave radios (which could've been turned into transmitters). However, the FBI still went into the Japanese-American homes and rounded up all the language teachers, martial arts instructors and other businessmen to concentration camps. Sometimes, they were held at gunpoint while rounding them up. Even Japanese- American soldiers serving in the US military were force to leave service and their rifles taken away from them. When Myanah Saunders was a child in the late 1940s, Britain was in the grip of post-war shortages and rationing was still in force. Although her family was not hard-up, Christmas presents were limited by what was available. "There was always a tangerine in the toe of the stocking and a bag of nuts, which were both quite special to us. We didn't have any sweets or chocolate because they were rationed, although there were usually sugar mice. On top of that, there would be a couple of things to keep us quiet: wax crayons, a small colouring book and a small toy or puzzle." Among the items Ms Saunders, now 62, remembers receiving were clockwork toys, friction-driven cars, slide puzzles, party whistles and celluloid dolls. "It was quite predictable what we would get, but it was still exciting because it was traditional and we knew what to look forward to." Join our old buddy "Kilroy" in peeking over the wall at our collection of World War II pinup queens. The most famous of all? Check out Betty Grable, our selection for January 1999, when this feature made its debut (we've since added pinups for earlier months!). War movie buffs will remember actor Robert Strauss (playing "Animal") in Stalag 17, professing undying love for a tattered picture of Betty. Or the scene in Patton  when "Ole Blood 'n Guts" (played by George C. Scott) tears a pinup off a wall with his riding crop during an inspection. Whether tacked on a barracks wall in some dreary camp in Britain, folded into a tiny square inside a wallet that crossed European and Pacific battlefields, or merely secreted away as a prized possession in a POW camp, pinups afforded the GI a glimpse of American (and, yes, English) beauty, however remote, wherever they were. Even the German at the radar site in Saving Private Ryan, in his litany of Americanisms, utters "Betty Grable ... great gams." (For more about WW II pinup art, read our overview.) Many of these vintage views of the most beautiful women of the 1940s are from the webmaster's pesonal collection; others are from other sources and will be so-credited. And, if a girl of the month wasn't enough, visit any of these special sections for more! In 1943, authorities at a German POW camp in Poland discovered that three prisoners were missing. A considerable space separated the prisoners’ huts from the perimeter fence, so at first it wasn’t clear how they’d escaped. But the three inmates had something in common — all three had exercised during the day on a vaulting horse in the yard. On investigating, the Germans discovered a 100-foot tunnel leading from that spot to an opening beyond the fence. The truth became clear. Each day, the prisoners had carried the horse to the same spot with a man hidden inside. While they exercised, the hidden man had used a bowl to lengthen the tunnel, then hid again in the horse as it was carried back inside. The Germans had used siesmographs to detect tunneling, but the prisoners’ vaulting had masked the sounds of their digging. All three escapees — Eric Williams, Michael Codner, and Oliver Philpot — reached neutral Sweden and were reunited with their families.  There was one person who led or participated in every combat, training or occupation operation during WWII and the Korean War. This person could always be depended on. GI's began to consider him the "super GI." He was one who always got there first or who was always there when they left. I am, of course, referring to Kilroy Was Here. Somehow, this simple graffiti captured the imagination of GI's everywhere they went. The scribbled cartoon face and words showed up everywhere - worldwide. Stories (some even true) abound. Children in 1940s had the same subjects as we have now (reading, spelling, math, geography), but the classrooms looked different. Each student sat separately, and the desks and chairs were fastened to the floor in straight rows. The teachers were more strict and the classrooms more orderly. At recess time children would march out of the classrooms in organized lines. Most of the time boys and girls played on separate playgrounds. Children would get to school by riding a bicycle or walking. Sometimes, children lived so close to the school that they could go home for lunch and return to school. Children in 1944 were living during a rough time. The Second World War was going on in Europe, China and the Pacific Islands. At school, kids would learn about the war and about the places where the American soldiers were fighting. Children tried to help as much as they could by recycling old rubber tires and metal junk to make new weapons, as shown in the poster above. They also rolled bandages from strips of cloth, knitted blankets and warm sweaters and collected and sent packages of food to the American troops. Kids at that time didn't have much money to spend, so at school they would learn to take care of their books, clothes and other belongings so they would last longer. They were taught to be patriotic and to support American soldiers.   It was hard to believe that just after what was thought to be Hollywood's greatest decade there seemed to be such lost promise. With the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, and the resulting outbreak of World War II, the American film industry suffered a slump during the early part of the 1940s. As it did following the Great Depression, Hollywood would have to again find a formula for survival. The world was in turmoil, and oddly enough, it would be this very same War that helped start Hollywood on its comeback. In an effort to support the national war effort, Hollywood studios began producing a large number of movies that became war-time favorites. One of the classic motion pictures of all-time was also a subtle wartime propaganda film Casablanca, was released in 1942. Many stars of the time enlisted in the Armed Forces, or provided entertainment for the troops, resulting in a large boost in morale for both the military and the general public. These war related efforts showed immediate results, as major movie studio profits began to grow to record levels. As the war drew to an end, so did the number of films produced that were war related. However, the influence of World War II has a permanent residence in the history of the motion picture industry. Some of the most memorable war-time classics would include Guadalcanal Diary, Bataan, Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, The Story of G.I. Joe, They Were Expendable, A Walk In The Sun, and a great many more. There were also a number of pictures dedicated to portraying life after war for the returning veteran. One of the most well-known of these stories is also one of the best films in motion picture history - The Best Years of Our Lives. This multi-Oscar winning picture (including Best Picture) touched the hearts and lives of all Americans. The 1940's also brought refinement to the art of film making, with technological improvements in sound recording, lighting, color usage, and special effects. These production advances made film-watching a much more enjoyable activity leading the way to record setting profits from 1943-1946. The light, escapist entertainment offered by Hollywood musicals during the 1940's skyrocketed their appeal, and a new breed of directors and stars rose to prominence. It seemed that once again Hollywood had withstood a great challenge and survived to flourish. Some however, realized that right before their eyes the greatest threat to Hollywood's dominance of the entertainment industry was busily developing. The popularity of television was growing by leaps and bounds. Retro girls It is May 10th 1940 and Churchill is Prime Minister of Britain. The BBC, Guardian and other left liberal news outlets publish polls stating that 60 % of Britons believe that the war against fascist Germany cannot be won and that the French are an unworthy ally. The questions used in the poll were inadequate containing ambiguous phraseology but the news outlets don’t report this – just the summary results. Instead the media focuses on the hardships, the trauma and destruction of war and record pessimist Britain’s dismay in defeating the Wehrmacht and supporting the fast collapsing French army. Most of the media is hostile to Churchill, and tired of his bombast. One of their favorites - Lord Halifax prevented from being Prime Minister because he sits in the Lords and not the Commons - convenes many press conferences informing Britons that appeasement with Hitler is the safest guarantor of the British empire. The media endlessly recycles Halifax’s editorials in which he states that fighting Germany contravenes international and British law, since the Jews and Poles provoked the current conflict. He maintains that the British empire has no reason to interfere in the internal politics of Europe and that the two empires can peacefully coexist. Such ideas resonate within the media and their polling affiliates. At the end of May 72 % of Britons feel that Halifax’s demand that peace be sought with Germany would be ‘appropriate’. To support the anti-war group the BBC broadcasts the already long list of dead military, the perils of fighting Germany alone, portrays the Americans as avaricious Jewish dominated parasites unwilling to formally aid Britain, and proposes that Europe united under one state and one leader is a historical destiny, quelling troublesome feuds once and for all. On British state owned TV well known British music stars and actresses are seen meeting with Hitler in attempts to broker a peace settlement, some more of the more raffish lot are photographed sitting atop Panzer tanks and parading in Gestapo uniforms. Many try to convince the British public that continuing the war with Germany would be unconscionable and will kill millions of innocent children and that the British public must stop their domestic military-industrial complex. A top pop song elaborates that ‘Germans love their children too’. Polls in England state that Churchill has only 22 % general support and almost none amongst women, ethnic, environmental groups and gay rights organizations. Sympathetic documentaries and films are hurriedly shown in England during May and June 1940, in theatres and on state owned TV, pointing out that Hitlerism and Nazism is nothing more than the realization of Germanic ambition and historical destiny. They focus on German discipline, literary and musical achievements and the valid German need for more land. Indeed Hitler is portrayed in such episodes as a great and noble leader, resurrecting a decrepit and shattered Germany. Nazism is depicted in editorials and on campuses as a uber-philosophy and historical life-force, based on great accomplishments, community-love, and national pride – it is the new world order. The destruction of freedom, life and liberal values are never touched upon. Hitlerism and fascism excites the media and academic elite which publish around the clock, sycophantic essays on the dialectical inevitability of fascist power. The Gallery of Regrettable Food While Hitler’s service in the Bavarian Army during World War I he saw the great power of War Propaganda especially as applied by the allies. He clearly understood the fact that the Central Powers especially Austria and Germany did not manage to use propaganda in a skilled manner and the Allies on the contrary used it excellently. Irrespective of which side of the war used propaganda in the most provident way, the important fact here is that Hitler had find out something that he would later apply to his Third Reich’s benefit. His War propaganda expert in the World War II became Dr. Joseph Goebbles. Hitler found out that creating what mainly added up to be a lie being changed to sound as if it were the simple truth, and subsequently direct this simple lie to people which were uneducated, or at least to those he supposed had no education or most defenseless, it could let him manipulate the feelings and emotions of people to make them correspond to what he wanted. Under uneducated people Hitler understood those who had no knowledge of the subject matter in which the propaganda is contained. This was a very effectual technique specifically during the war, because if someone could persuade the enemy that they were in fact losing the war and it does not matter if they were or not in reality, the will of those people would weaken. During the war propaganda was the idea that truly attracted Hitler’s attention, propaganda was also applied by Hitler in other fields such as persuading the Jews who were on the run in Germany in the time of holocaust to come out and surrender. The lie that Hitler used in this case is that he would merely exile them out of Germany and that the concentration camps were meant only for those of them who committed crimes against the Reich. Wartime Britain, and the period after the war ended in 1945, produced some of the most difficult times for theatre and pantomime. In the early days of the war in 1940 it looked as if all places of public entertainment would be closed indefinitely, and one by one the country’s theatres opened their doors, and the world of pantomime existed as a glittering escape from the streets ravaged by nightly air raids and austere conditions at home and abroad. It was an era of great producers and performers. They had survived the onslaught of the cinema, and, in these pre-television days, drew from the popular radio shows and variety shows to provide some of the greatest pantomime stars. BOOM! BANG!! BAM! Can you hear that? That's the sound of weapons in World War II. In the 1940's, it was not the happiest decade. It was actually full of killing and blood. Yet, it also had some interesting sports, games, and famous people. Before World War II there were many poor people. Suddenly there were headlines saying, "Japs declare war. Attack U.S." After the war, the "Baby Boom" era began. If you don't know what "Baby Boom" is, I'll explain. After the war, the survivors came home. There were many marriages and they started to have many babies. People born in this era were called "Baby Boomers." Soldiers of the glorious Finnish army! Peace has been concluded between Finland and Soviet Russia, a harsh peace in which Soviet Russia has been ceded nearly every battlefield on which you have shed your blood on behalf of everything we hold sacred and dear. You did not want war; you loved peace, work and progress; but you were forced into a struggle in which you have achieved great deeds, deeds that will shine for centuries in the annals of history. There are places that command History, Today they are places to walk. When the veterans leave, there will remain to us only these places to recall us what occurred there, on that day in June 1944. They fought in canvas and wood biplanes that could barely fly 100 MPH. Men like von Richthofen, Rickenbacker, Bishop, Guynemer, Mannock, Ball, who flew airplanes with names like Spad, Fokker, Albatros, Nieuport, and Sopwith Camel. In this era, the top speeds were about 100 MPH. When the pilots ventured ten miles over the enemy lines, that was a notable event. The pilots carried no parachutes. The airplanes were made of wood and canvas; when they caught on fire, it spread quickly, and spelled certain death for the occupants. The Timeline section focuses on the history of the Holocaust, chronicling the years from 1918 to the present. Hitler's rise to power was the initiation of a period that wrought great fear and destruction. Millions were forced to live in ghettos, only to be deported later to the concentration camps. The tragic details remained obscure until the liberation of the death camps and the further revelations during the Nuremberg War Trials. The subsections below offer a simplified outline for thinking about how the Holocaust unfolded. The term "Old Time Radio" refers to the entertainment programs that were broadcast to the public from the early 1920s to the early 1960s. In the beginning, most radio programs emulated the vaudeville acts that were the mainstay of public amusement before radio. Comics and singers ruled the airwaves! Best of all, you no longer had to leave your home to enjoy their talents! Eventually, however, audiences matured and other types of programs were added to the radio schedule. Drama series became extremely popular including shows about doctors, soap operas, and even movie scripts that were adapted for radio. Action series brought cops, robbers, private detectives, and westerns into the home! Fantasy series thrilled audiences with well known characters including Superman and the Green Hornet! Horror fans got their share of ghosts, vampires, and werewolves. Those who craved science fiction got their weekly craving for tales of the future, space travel, and exploration of the unknown. Game shows like "You Bet Your Life" gave the average person an escape from everyday life! This is the place to find Old Time Radio shows that have been featured within the past week. The shows are usually kept here for a week or so after their day in the spotlight on the Today's Features page. At its peak, the British Empire was the largest formal empire that the world had ever known. As such, its power and influence stretched all over the globe; shaping it in all manner of ways. This site is dedicated to analysing the history of the British Empire: The triumphs, the humiliations, the good that it brought and the bad that it inflicted. For better or worse the British Empire had a massive impact on the history of the world. It is for this reason that this site tries to bring to life the peoples, cultures, adventures and domination that made the Empire such a powerful institution. It is neither an apology for, nor a nostalgic reminiscent of the institution that so dominated the world for over a century. Rather, it analyses and describes the vast institution that so influenced the shape of the world that we see today. Welcome to Don Mabry's Historical Text Archive ! The HTA publishes high quality articles, books, essays, documents, historical photos, and links, screened for content, for a broad range of historical subjects. It was founded in 1990 in Mississippi and is one of the oldest history sites on the Internet. This site is dynamic with regular additions to its contents and its link collection. The Dad's Army Theme tune was penned by Jimmy Perry and Derek Taverner in 1969. The feel of the tune and the sentiment in the lyrics are so 'right' that many believe they are listening to a real war-time song. Bud Flanagan sang the lyrics, it was his last song recorded before he died. There have been many versions recorded at different stages, including one by Arthur Lowe. His parents, Wolf and Yetta (Kitty) Weintrop were Polish Jews who fled to London in the mid 1870s as a result of Eastern European pogroms. They had ten children all born in London. In 1881 they lived in Brick Lane and by 1891 had moved on to 12 Hanbury Street, Spitalfields. At the time of the 1901 census the family were still at Hanbury Street, with Reuben aged 4 living with six of his siblings and his parents over a Fried Fish shop. They later owned a barber shop and tobacconist in Whitechapel. Flanagan attended school in Petticoat Lane, and by the age of 10 was working as call-boy at the Cambridge Music Hall. In 1908, he made his début in a talent contest at the London Music Hall in Shoreditch, performing conjuring tricks as Fargo, The Boy Wizard. In 1910, he sailed with the SS Majestic to New York, where he had a variety of jobs before returning to England in 1915 and joining the Royal Field Artillery, in France. Here he met the unpopular Sergeant Major from whom he later adopted his stage name. In 1919 he formed a comedy double act, Flanagan and Roy. he met his wife Anne, daughter of Irish comedian Johnny Quinn, (The Singing Clown), and in 1926 their son Buddy was born. He is best known as part of a double act with Chesney Allen, Flanagan and Allen. They had first met on active service in Flanders, but did not work together until 1926, touring with a Florrie Forde show. They established a reputation and were booked by Val Parnell at the Holborn Empire. As music hall comedians, they would often feature a mixture of comedy and music in their act and this led to a successful recording career as a duo and roles in film and television. Flanagan and Allen were both also members of The Crazy Gang, appearing in the first show at the London Palladium in 1931, and continued to work with the group, concurrently with their double-act career. Flanagan and Allen's songs featured the same, usually gentle humour for which the duo were known in their live performances, and during the Second World War reflected the experiences of ordinary people during wartime. Songs like We're Going To Hang Out The Washing On The Siegfried Line mocked the German defences (Siegfried Line), while others like Miss You sang of missing one's sweetheart during enforced absences. Other songs such as their most famous Underneath the Arches (which Flanagan co-wrote with Reg Connelly) had universal themes such as friendship, which again, helped people relate to the subject matter. The music was usually melodic, following a binary verse, verse chorus structure, with a small dance band or orchestra providing the backing. The vocals were distinctive because while Flanagan was at least a competent singer and sang the melody lines, Allen used an almost spoken delivery to provide the harmonies. Flanagan and Allen stopped working together with Chesney Allen's retirement in 1945, when he gave up performing to become a theatrical agent; but Flanagan continued working until his death. His last recording was Jimmy Perry and Derek Taverner's Who Do You Think You Are Kidding, Mr Hitler?, recorded shortly before his death in 1968, which was the theme to the British sitcom series Dad's Army. The song was a deliberate pastiche of the sort of songs Flanagan had sung during the war and, being so nostalgic, was very popular with the public.  The attack on Pearl Harbour was a surprise attack against the United States' naval base at Pearl Harbour, Hawaii by the Japanese navy, on the morning of Sunday, December 7, 1941, resulting in the United States becoming involved in World War II. It was intended as a preventive action to remove the US Pacific Fleet as a factor in the war Japan was about to wage against Britain, the Netherlands, and the United States. Two aerial attack waves, totalling 353 aircraft, launched from six Japanese aircraft carriers, intending to reduce or eliminate United States' military power in the Pacific. The attack wrecked two U.S. Navy battleships, one mine layer, and two destroyers beyond repair, and destroyed 188 aircraft; personnel losses were 2,388 killed and 1,178 wounded. In spite of the latest intelligence reports about the missing aircraft carriers (his most important targets), Admiral Nagumo decided to continue the attack with his force of six carriers and 423 aircraft. At a range of 230 miles north of Oahu , he launched the first wave of a two-wave attack. Beginning at 0600 hours his first wave consisted of 183 fighters and torpedo bombers which struck at the fleet in Pearl Harbor and the airfields in hickam, Kaneohe and Ewa. The second strike, launched at 0715 hours, consisted of 167 aircraft, which again struck at the same targets. At 0753 hours the first wave consisting of 40 Nakajima B5N2 'Kate' torpedo bombers, 51 Aichi D3A1 'Val' dive bombers, 50 high altitude bombers and 43 Zeros struck airfields and Pearl Harbor Within the next hour, the second wave arrived and continued the attack. Greatest Film Star Roles and Film biographies contains a selected sampling of the starring roles that best define the screen presence or persona of some of the greatest stars of the American cinema. The definitive screen role is often the one for which the actor or actress is best-remembered. In some cases, some actors/actresses - over a long, prolific career - have had more than one exemplary or essential example of their acting portrayed in films. The Skylighters were the 800-odd men of the four batteries of the 225th AAA Searchlight Battalion. After training at Camp Davis, North Carolina, the 225th arrived in England just before New Year's Day 1944, and became part of the antiaircraft defense of England. In mid-June, the Skylighters landed on Omaha Beach and formed part of the defense of Normandy. Thereafter, for most of their dash across France and the Low Countries, the 225th were attached to the 9th Air Force's 422nd and 425th Night Fighter Squadrons, who flew the deadly P-61 Black Widow interceptor against the Luftwaffe. In their role with the night fighters, the 225th received partial credits on the downing of 36 enemy planes and V-1 buzz bombs. In addition, the battalion's 36 General Electric searchlights were used to put up over 4,000 light canopies that saved countless planes as well as pilots and aircrews that were lost or disabled in night combat in the ETO. Skylighters radar sets were used to vector the Black Widows to their targets time and time again. At war's end, the 225th began training for deployment to the Pacific, and served for a while as part of the Army of Occupation. Following the surrender of Japan, Skylighters began rotating back home, and by December 1945 the unit was disbanded. Best of British Magazine Britain's favourite nostalgia monthly magazine is packed with stories and pictures guaranteed to bring the memories flooding back. Offering page after page of timeless reading, Best of British covers every aspect of life from the 1940s through to today, recording the way it once was and demonstrating what makes Britain so special. Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire, the historic site of secret British code breaking activities during World War Two and the birthplace of the modern computer. In 1939, Nazi U-boats were wreaking havoc on military and merchant ships. The submarines appeared from nowhere, torpedoing entire fleets before disappearing beneath the waves. Allied commanders knew that if they could break the Enigma code, they could listen in on the U-boats’ orders and discover where they were. There was only one problem; the odds against breaking the Enigma code were 150 000 000 000 000 000 000 to 1. The Allies recruited some of the country’s brightest mathematicians and sent them to Bletchley Park, a mansion in Buckinghamshire that had been commandeered by the military. Their mission was simple; to crack the Enigma code. Cracking the Enigma code was no simple matter. Enigma’s complexity was bewildering and the codes changed daily. The Bombe was the work of mathematician Alan Turing, the father of modern computing. Based on the pioneering work of Polish code breakers, the Bombe was an early form of computer that could crunch numbers at a dizzying speed. In 1940 the Enigma code was defeated. Not only had Turing invented the forerunner of today’s PC, he also proved that no matter how clever the code, any Private Key Cryptography can be broken if you chuck enough processing power at it. When France falls in June 1940 more polls are published in a frenzy of worried activity revealing that 80 % of Britons are pessimistic or uncertain about the war’s outcome with an astonishing 90 % expressing some level of concern about the government’s performance. Some extreme editorials charge that Churchill lied about the nature of the war and the reality of fighting an invincible Germany during his May 1940 Parliamentary speeches. His speeches and statements are re-parsed, picked over and extensively criticized for their naivety, romanticism and extreme patriotism. Political and media analysts carp about Churchill’s own past including his poor academic record, his dubious military escapades, and his criminal guilt in the battle of Omdurman in 1898 in the Sudan when black native fighters were destroyed by modern military technology. They also point out Churchill’s personal combat against the Boers, the Indians and Afghans, stating that bigotry and racial hatred are at the core of Churchill’s character. Talk shows abound with analysts and those who ‘know’ Churchill stating that Churchill’s past is inglorious and at odds with current post World War One modernity of enlightened thoughtful liberalism. Even his vain, womanizing syphilitic father, a political star that crashed through arrogance and illness is dragged from the history books to prove that genetically Churchill is an unstable character and the son of drunken political bore. Friends of the 40s has finally arrived, ready to serve as your online news source to all thing 1940s. As well as keeping you well informed of all the latest events and happenings on the 40s scene, we provide a resource to the fans, listing all the best in 1940s entertainment, re-enactment groups and period traders. We also hope to provide community facilities for all the online 40s fanatics. Look no further than Friends of the 40s for untrained forties goodness. Churchill’s past and own drinking excesses are front page stories, with news analysts and experts linking Churchill’s terrible character with the losing war effort. Many call for not only Churchill’s resignation but his impeachment for not doing enough to prevent the fall of the British expeditionary army and the humiliation of Dunkirk. The BBC reports that Churchill and his Ministers are not only losing the war, but also profiting from war contracts through firms closely allied with the Conservative political effort and that Churchill has sent his own small fortune out of the country to Canada. No evidence is given on these allegations but no proof is asked for. New public polling puts Churchill with a 13 % approval rating and calls for his resignation echo more loudly each day. The anti-Conservative and anti-Churchill media also stoke antipathy to Churchill’s new coalition government by focusing on the incapability of British forces to fight. While willful, manly Germany prepares for the invasion of the British Isles, the media is adamant that the government is doing nothing. The British Labor party, sensing Churchill’s political weakness, reveal documents which support the position that the government is disorganized and drifting with no rational plan to wage war. A recently demoted Cabinet member releases photos of a drunk Churchill slurring his words at a private dinner function while discussing war strategy, and publishes letters from Churchill to his War Cabinet which apparently prove that Churchill has no real plan of national defense. Clement Attlee leader of the Labor Party, along with Lord Halifax, holds a press interview on an important TV talk show criticizing Churchill for the Norway fiasco along with inadequate funding of the armed forces and a lack of strategic focus. Atlee contends that appeasing Germany for two to three years, would enable Britain to retool and rearm, and cites the Soviet-Nazi pact of 1939 as an example of judicious statesmanship. Indeed Atlee calls for a British-like ‘Stalin’ to take over the government and re-energize its martial spirit. The media gives Attlee’s criticisms wide coverage and some propose that an Attlee government would have a more nuanced and realistic appraisal of confronting Germany, and would be smart enough to elicit support from ‘allies’ and the international community. Media analysis and polls are produced showing Atlee as Briton’s top choice for Prime Minister. The Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) Forces Help is the leading national charity committed to helping and supporting those who serve in our Armed Forces, those who used to serve, and the families of both. We provide a reliable, caring and trusted service to more that 50,000 people each year. Our professionally trained staff and network of 7,000 volunteers provide practical and financial assistance, emotional support and a wide range of services to ensure that SSAFA Forces Help makes a real difference wherever there is a need and whenever anybody turns to us for help. Sir Winston was one of the most prominent politicians of the 20th century in the United Kingdom. He was surely the most famous Prime Minister of the 20th century. His personality compounded talented author, outstanding speaker, artist, and a great leader that managed to escape Britain’s defeat and even be among the winning nations at the end of World War Two. Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill was born on the 30th of November, 1874 in Blenheim Palace, Oxfordshire in the family of Lord Randolph Churchill and Jennie Jerome. Winston’s father was a famous Tory politician, descendent of John Churchill (1st duke of Marlborough, the hero of the wars against French Louis XIV). Winston’s mother was the daughter of a prominent American financier Leonard W. Jerome. Churchill was a very poor student at school that later resulted his father to make young Winston to join the military. Here again he did not show great results and passed the entrance examination to the Royal Military College only from the third try. However, he took studying at college seriously and graduated 20th in class out of 130. After graduating from college Winston Churchill joined the 4th Hussars and ended up in Cuba reporting on Cuban independence war from Spain. A couple of months later Churchill returned back home from Cuba and left for India along with his division. In India he for the first time he experienced being a soldier and a journalist at the same time. Shortly after becoming Prime Minister in May 1940, Winston Churchill visited the Cabinet War Rooms to see for himself what preparations had been made to allow him and his War Cabinet to continue working throughout the expected air raids on London. It was there, in the underground Cabinet Room, he announced 'This is the room from which I will direct the war'. The future prime minister decided to finish his career in the military and go into politics. For the living he wanted to write articles for different newspapers and magazines. The tradition to lose for the first time did not fail for Churchill when he tried to be elected as a Conservative at Oldham. Instead of a Conservative at Oldham Winston found himself in South Africa reporting on the South African War for British newspaper The Morning Post. Not being lucky was sort of a story of Churchill’s life, this time he was captured by Boers as a prisoner in military prison in South Africa. However, he managed to escape from the prison which later made him nearly a hero when he went back home. After coming back from Africa he decided to run for the Parliament again in 1900. This time he achieved his goal. Being a member of the Parliament Churchill experienced difficulties with public speaking as he had a speech defect (that he actually never lost). It was a big challenge for him but it did not break him up and he never left oratory art. In 1904 due to some disagreements with his party members over trade tariffs Churchill had to join the Liberals. In the new spot he quickly gained popularity for his brave debates with those who argued with him. In 1908 Churchill became the president of the Board of Trade. That same year Winston Churchill married (the first and the last time) Clementine Hozier. The National Archives is at the heart of information policy - setting standards and supporting innovation in information and records management across the UK, and providing a practical framework of best practice for opening up and encouraging the re-use of public sector information. This work helps inform today´s decisions and ensure that they become tomorrow´s permanent record. At Past Perfect our passion is for natural, original sound of the 190s, 30s and 40s. Our CDs enjoy a world-wide reputation for their unique clarity and fidelity. Big bands, trad jazz, dance bands, love songs, swing and more... we use the very latest computer technology to achieve this, but will never use any of the gimmicks beloved of contemporary sound engineers. No fake reverberation or artificial stereo on Past Perfect CDs just pure classic sound. The Churchill Society London. here are the title deeds of freedom which should lie in every cottage home we must never cease to proclaim in fearless tones the great principles of freedom and the rights of man which are the joint inheritance of the English-speaking world and which through Magna Carta, the Bill of Rights, the Habeas Corpus, trial by jury, and the English common law find their most famous expression in the American Declaration of Independence. I would encourage anyone with memories of WW II to write them down for the benefit of their offspring and those who were not there to understand the times. You need not write a book. A simple paragraph or two of even one moment should be recorded. My visitors and I would of course enjoy the privilege of being able to read them on this page. ASAC offices are staffed by Volunteers from various ex-service organisations (ESOs). Our Advocates are fully  qualified having completed studies via the Training and Information Program which is funded and coordinated by the Department of Veteran Affairs (DVA).  Advocates do not receive payment for their services from either the DVA or any other Government Department. Do you have a question?  Ask a qualified advocate today! Visit the ASAC Forum and post your query on-line or contact an ASAC Advocate via phone, fax or email. Click Here for further details. Looking for information on welfare and pension entitlements?  Stop by the Forum for the latest updates. Shortly after the beginning of World War II in September 1939, a POW camp called Kriegsgefangenen-Mannschafts-Stammlager (Stalag) VII A was established north of Moosburg. Originally it was planned for 10,000 prisoners, but at the end of the war some 80,000 Allied soldiers - mostly French and Soviet citizens - had to live in it. British, French, Belgian and Dutch soldiers taken prisoner during the Battle of France started arriving in May 1940. Many were transferred on to other camps, but close to 40,000 French remained at Stalag VII-A throughout the war. British, Greek and Yugoslavia prisoners arrived from the Balkans Campaign in May and June 1941. A few months later Soviet prisoners started arriving, mostly officers. At the end of the war there were still 27 Soviet generals in Moosburg who had survived the mistreatment that they, like all Soviet prisoners, had been subjected to. More British Commonwealth and Polish prisoners came from the North African campaign and the offensive against the Italian held islands in the Mediterranean. They were brought here from Italian PoW camps after the Armistice with Italy in September 1943. Italian soldiers were also imprisoned. The first American arrivals came after the Tunisia Campaign in December 1942, and the Italian Campaign in 1943. Large numbers of Americans were captured in the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. Among the last arrivals were officers from Stalag Luft III who had been force marched from Sagan in Silesia (now Żagań), Poland). They arrived 2 February 1945. They were followed by more prisoners marched from other camps threatened by the advancing Soviets, including part of the American officers that had been marched from Oflag 64 in Szubin, via Oflag XIII-B, under their senior officer Lt.Col. Paul Goode. During the 5½ years about 1000 prisoners died at the camp, over 800 of them Soviets. They were buried in a cemetery in Oberreit, south of Moosburg. Most died from illness, some from injuries during work. It has been said that there were some casualties from Allied bombs at work. The camp was started in September 1939 to house Polish prisoners from the German September 1939 offensive. They arrived while the wooden barracks were under construction and for several weeks lived in tents. British, French, Belgian and Dutch soldiers taken prisoner during the Battle of France started arriving in May 1940. Many were transferred on to other camps, but close to 40,000 French remained at Stalag VII-A throughout the war. British, Greek and Yugoslavia prisoners arrived from the Balkans Campaign in May and June 1941. A few months later Soviet prisoners started arriving, mostly officers. At the end of the war there were still 27 Soviet generals in Moosburg who had survived the mistreatment that they, like all Soviet prisoners, had been subjected to. More British Commonwealth and Polish prisoners came from the North African campaign and the offensive against the Italian held islands in the Mediterranean. They were brought here from Italian PoW camps after the Armistice with Italy in September 1943. Italian soldiers were also imprisoned. The first American arrivals came after the Tunisia Campaign in December 1942, and the Italian Campaign in 1943. Large numbers of Americans were captured in the Battle of the Bulge in December 1944. Among the last arrivals were officers from Stalag Luft III who had been force marched from Sagan in Silesia (now Żagań), Poland). They arrived 2 February 1945. They were followed by more prisoners marched from other camps threatened by the advancing Soviets, including part of the American officers that had been marched from Oflag 64 in Szubin, via Oflag XIII-B, under their senior officer Lt.Col. Paul Goode. During the 5½ years about 1000 prisoners died at the camp, over 800 of them Soviets. They were buried in a cemetery in Oberreit, south of Moosburg. Most died from illness, some from injuries during work. It has been said that there were some casualties from Allied bombs at work sites.

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