May 16
Polish soldier Jan Szczyna in France, 1 Jan 1940.
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Polish soldier Jan Szczyna in France, 1 Jan 1940.
Fairey Battle's escorted by Curtiss Hawk 75s February 1940.
Hommes de la Compagnie D, 2e Bataillon des Sherwood Foresters, 1ère Division d'infanterie britannique dans une tranchée avancée près de Roches – Bataille de France – la drôle de guerre – France – 1er avril 1940
Photographe : Lieutenant E. A. Taylor - War Office official photographer
©Imperial War Museums - F 3504
Le caporal suppléant L. J. Harris est en train de se raser.
“ Abbiamo appena subito un’incredibile sconfitta. Chi ha sbagliato? Il sistema parlamentare, la truppa, gli Inglesi, la quinta colonna, rispondono i nostri generali. Tutti, tranne loro. Quant’era più saggio il vecchio Joffre! «Non so - diceva - se sono stato io ad aver vinto la battaglia della Marna, ma di una cosa sono sicuro: se l’avessimo persa, sarebbe stato per causa mia». E forse, con queste parole, intendeva ricordare che un capo è responsabile di tutto quanto accade sotto il suo comando. Poco importa se non tutte le decisioni siano state prese di sua iniziativa, se non era a conoscenza di ogni mossa. Perché è il capo, ha accettato di esserlo e su di lui, nel bene come nel male, ricade la responsabilità dei risultati. Di questa grande verità, che un uomo semplice esprimeva con tanta semplicità, solo oggi ci pare di cogliere sino in fondo il significato. Alla fine della campagna, non conoscevo ufficiale che ne dubitasse: checché si pensi delle cause profonde della disfatta, la causa diretta - che andrà a sua volta indagata - fu l’incapacità degli organi di comando. “
Marc Bloch, La strana disfatta. Testimonianza del 1940, (traduzione di Raffaella Comaschi, a cura di Silvio Lanaro, Collana Biblioteca studio), Einaudi, 1995. (Libro elettronico)
[ Edizione originale postuma: L'Étrange Défaite. Témoignage écrit en 1940, Éditeur Franc-Tireur, 1946 ]
1161x900 The 1st Battalion of the Welsh Guardsmen near Arras in North-Eastern France, February 14th, 1940. Colourized photo.
“SLIM NAVAL OFFICER in blue uniform examined travelling vouchers of Tommies coming home on leave. A husky sergeant-major looked up, stood transfixed. It was the King taking on the ticket-taker’s job during a coastal port inspection.” - from the Toronto Star. March 30, 1940. Page 23.
In Action: Short Magazine Lee-Enfield
The photograph above shows a soldier from the 2nd Battalion, the Warwickshire Regiment seated in a tree taking aim with his rifle. The photograph was taken during an exercise at Rumegies near the Belgian border, on the 22nd January 1940.
The photograph was taken during the so-called Phoney War which saw a period of inactivity by both sides after war was declared. The 2nd Battalion, the Warwickshire Regiment was part of the the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) and fought during the Battle of France and was evacuated from Dunkirk, after a fighting retreat, during Operation Dynamo.
The soldier is armed with a Short, Magazine Lee-Enfield Rifle No.1 MkIII, it can be differentiated from the MkIII* as its magazine cutoff is visible next to the rifle’s charger bridge. The Lee-Enfield Rifle No.1 MkIII, MkIII* and Rifle No.4 continued to be used by the British Army throughout the Second World War.
Sources:
Image Sources: 1 2
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