We are going on a long cross country raid by daylight today and I am flying again tonight … Since my second trip to Hale … I have been doing little besides flying. The weather has been marvelous of late and I have flown over most of England.
… After getting briefed, bombed up and ready for the trip – one of our engines cut while taking off so the raid had to be cancelled for our crew.
… I am really having the time of my young life. Imagine having a huge $200,000 plane at my disposal – filled with a camera – bombs, guns, radio – office for me, expensive and precise instruments – and best of all – nine hours fuel. We have our own crew, four of us, and have flown over every part of England and Wales. Next we tackle the continent. I know more about the different parts of this country than most Englishmen – the continent – France, Germany, Holland is also coming in for close scrutiny before long. Yes sir its loads of fun – keen satisfaction, plenty of excitement and activity. Of course night flying is a bit less comfortable – a little more strenuous and tiring. I find it hard to keep awake – however, there is usually a bit of noise and lighting effect to help – and so goes the flying. (JJL 7 July 1941)
Percy caught Joe’s mood in his diary:
He wrote his letter in one of the beautiful spots of English country … he mentions the peace and quiet and I think there is a certain wistful quality about the letter which I have not noticed before in any of letters. Most of his letters are quite boisterous bubbling over with life and fun. In this letter he [is] evidently eager to assure us how happy he is and has been and what a lot he has managed to get out of life. I felt that he was aware of the possible shortness of his life and wanted us to feel if anything God forbid should happen that he has nothing to regret. That is the impression I got … I don’t know whether his mother had the same idea … but she was quiet all day … (PJD 1 July 1941)
Fourteen
A Canadian’s Estimate of England
For the newly arrived Canadian airmen, the Blitz was but the most obvious sign of Britain’s peril. Dismal war news headlined the papers nearly every day in May, as it had in April when the Wehrmacht overran Yugoslavia and Greece in a few weeks. Germany gained a foothold in Syria, courtesy of Vichy France, while Rommel’s troops advanced toward Egypt, creating a pincer that threatened the Suez Canal and Britain’s access to the East. HMS Hood, the Royal Navy’s great battle cruiser that Joe had seen at anchor in Reykjavik only four weeks earlier, was sunk in an eight-minute naval battle, with virtually all hands lost. Meanwhile, U-boats were sinking merchant ships in the North Atlantic faster than they could be replaced. The most shocking news was Germany’s airborne invasion of Crete, and the rout of the Empire troops defending it. That an island of such size could fall to enemy paratroopers while Britain still controlled its sea lanes reignited fears of a German invasion of the homeland.
Joe summarized how he saw the war’s progress to the Pony Club.
As things move rapidly in other parts of the world – a strange quiet has prevailed here in England – the result has been that you almost forget that there is anything going on – our complete mastery of the air during daylight makes it seem impossible that we are on a besieged island. During a blitz though your views change.
Churchill … keeps them going. People feel he is fair, tolerant, honest, imaginative – when he speaks he gives them the news good or bad. … The British are not a mechanized race – the Americans are – this kind of war is right down the Americans’ alley – First of all superior production – the Germans beat the British at it – the Americans beat the Germans. Secondly superior products – the British win hands down – U.S. – second – our planes top anything the U.S. produce – the boys don’t like flying U.S. kites outside of the Lockheed Hudson – our planes often come back on one engine – completely shot up and stand up to terrific beatings – the new Spitfire is top fighter plane in the world to-day. Thirdly – organization – Germany has us both licked – Fourthly – imagination – that’s where we bog down – it’s a toss up between the U.S. & Germany – Finally stamina – you can’t beat the British there – However, I still stick to the new world – too much formality – still too much class distinction here, and above all – the English are interested only in themselves – they know nothing about other people or countries and care less – they are truly amazing people. Half the time you curse them – the rest of the time you curse yourself for being so stupid – especially during a blitz or a crisis when everybody from the poorest up – takes everything in stride – most people from any other country would be in the bug house if the worries, problem, and tragedies that beset them here occurred to them.
… it is tommy rot for the British to claim that the U.S. should fight to shorten the war – they haven’t a chance here without practical U.S. aid and they know it – and the good old U.S. knows what they are in for if Germany wins – the sooner each ally gets straightened out on the score, the sooner their heads will come together and then things will start humming – (JJL 25 May 1941)
Penned little more than three weeks after his arrival, Joe’s letter already identified some key themes he would return to many times in his correspondence over the next few months: the national characteristics of the combatants as these might affect the war’s outcome, the need for the United States to throw its full weight behind Britain, and the dead weight of the class system in England. In early June, he wrote to his family about his confidence in Britain’s eventual victory:
based on what they have done and most important of all – what they are capable of doing. The defeat at Dunkirk cut about three fifths of the misfits, defeatists, boneheads, etc. from leading positions in the country, thus enabling the true ability of the country to burst forth and prove itself in many ways. The defeat at Crete, I believe, cut another fifth off the narrow-minded dead weight from responsible positions – and it is well that this has come about before it is too late – as it is a nip and tuck struggle for us to keep our heads above water for the time being. The main difficulty in England is to make room for some of the originality, daring, and dash that the Americans and Germans show. On the other hand there is a sturdiness and quality about Britishers that enables them to stand up to more than most people can. But quality alone is not enough. You have to think and act fast – change your methods and not only meet all novel attacks but conceive of new ones yourself – admittedly they are often a bit slow here – but they are sensible enough to thrash out weaknesses without getting panicky and in the light of constructive criticism and practical experience learn and act on the basis of it.
… This is a real battle between free people and slaves. We absolutely have to prove that our system is superior to any shown so far. Those who want to can talk about their isms – I’ll take my democracy and I’ll fight for it – England is proving today that democracy is workable – I feel confident that the challenges of the future will eventually be dealt with with increasing success. At least we know and understand what we are up against – we feel the job can and will be done and is being done. (JJL 10 June 1941)
Yet as the bad news continued, Joe’s confidence was tempered by frustration:
Another evacuation completed – first Norway, then Dunkirk, Greece – now Crete – each one worse – always the identical story – unsurpassed bravery – superior odds & equipment – criticism is getting strong at last for the criminal & stupid way of fighting – for our slowness, complacency – the British absolutely don’t think fast enough today – don’t conceive of new ideas or changes – it’s about time they started – before it’s too late. (JJD 2 June 1941)
People around here (Doncaster) have had no bombings at all & are not all out in war effort – there is still lots of profiteering – cheating, etc. The more regulations you have the more scope there is for evading laws & rules – war effort not at 100% – people lulled into false security again – waste, stupidity, red tape – short sightedness – still too prevalent. (JJD 19 June 1941)
Will Britai
n win the war? – I do not know. Against – English complacency, stupidity, smugness – lack of drive & imagination. Weak points – 1. lack of coordination amongst services & amongst factories & administration – no plan – too much muddling & 50% effort – For – Adaptability – courage – complacency – can’t scare – can’t upset or worry English – their weakness is also their strength – it’s a grave problem. (JJD 20 June 1941)
Germany’s invasion of the Soviet Union on 22 June brought an entirely new dimension to the struggle. At first Joe treated it as a joke, commenting the day after “I like to see a couple of rascals kill each other.” But he soon came around to support not only Churchill’s declaration of alliance but to the need for Britain to act in full support, and not stand by and leave the dirty work to the Russians. In July the news improved. The United States took over the occupation of Iceland, relieving the British forces there, but more importantly sending a clear signal to Germany that it would not tolerate interference with the sea lanes of the North Atlantic. British and Free French forces occupied Syria and, so claimed the press, the Russians were beginning to hold firm against the German assault. Churchill announced that the bombing campaign against Germany would be stepped up, and that Britain was now much better prepared to rebuff Luftwaffe retaliation than it had been the previous September. The Daily Express began a weekly “bombing table” to tally the attacks on German cities. Three weeks after the Soviet Union had unexpectedly become an ally, Joe opined to the Pony Club:
Despite Churchill’s speeches and our alliance – a few of the old order still will have nothing to do with the Russians – that is – they can beat the Germans but that is all. There are quite a few of that English menace left who are responsible for many past evils – I don’t think the real showdown will come until after the war. Then they will make a last dying attempt to keep control – to hang on to the old order – the Russians are winning everybody’s admiration. Having Russia as our allies will probably result in one of two things happening in post war England. Either the ruling class and financial interests will have to make further concessions to the workers or the workers will be easy meat for communistic leaders. People are beginning to figure that maybe the Russians are not so bad if they can supply their men with adequate equipment, leadership etc. (JJL 15 July 1941)
Joe was a keen observer of these events, mainly through the daily press. He told the Pony Club:
the newspapers here are cut down in size and content but there is absolute freedom of the press. Every battle, every campaign, every political, military or economic move is given a thorough going over – the tone is in most cases fair but critical – there is no fooling here – everybody is in the war and they want to see things done right. … The papers here … give the govt a terrific going over for their soft gloved handling of Hess – they want a complete reorganization of the intelligence service – they want a lot more red tape in administration clipped – above all they want their leaders to get up to date in their military views – improve production & mechanization – and obtain air superiority – change bombing tactics, etc. etc. – in other words what’s going on is understood thoroughly by everybody – as far as possible. … in Canada the papers try to tone down the failures, play up the victories. Here they try to get the whole situation in the proper perspective – that’s where we are going to win out – we know the worst – we know what plugging lies ahead – no defeat can shock them here or make them lose heart. It makes them plug harder – as usual they are slow at catching on here.
(JJL 25 May 1941)
Joe considered Beaverbrook’s Express “the most interesting & colorful paper of the lot.” Then the most widely read of the national papers, it had like the others been cut to four pages daily and six on Sunday due to paper shortages. Joe admired the British press for its lively criticism of the conduct of the war in the opinion columns: “as long as we are free to critic[ize] not too much fighting in vain.” Whether Joe understood that war news, in contrast to opinion, was based largely on Ministry of Information communiqués, there being no independent investigative reporting from the front, is not obvious from his letters.
Joe was well aware that mail was subject to censorship, as RCAF personnel had been warned repeatedly. Letters must not contain any details of station locations, military activities, weapons, or aircraft. Offending words or passages were snipped out. Routine grumbling was generally allowed to pass, although derogatory comments about RAF discipline and living conditions, or about the attitudes of English civilians toward Canadian servicemen, judged likely to affect morale on the home front in Canada, might be drawn to the attention of the writer’s commanding officer. Political disaffection attracted the censor’s notice, but in practice it had to border on sedition to be cut. Straightforward political opinion, however trenchant, would generally pass. As Joe told his family,
I should launch into a thorough politic article on conditions and prospects around here – recent alliances – attitudes, etc. – but I am afraid my old pal the scissor clipping stooge – locally called a censor would ruin a good letter (JJL 14 July 1941)
Nonetheless, a week later he expounded at length to his family on those very topics, even if he suspected that his views might be sailing close to the wind.
Perhaps the Englishman’s greatest weakness, vice, drawback or call it what you may is his lack of imagination – his lack of foresight – and his lack of drive – yet at the same time those very drawbacks are part and parcel of his strength – his power and his existence.
They lack imagination – they don’t conceive of many new ideas – changes – they fail to exploit their assets. Believe me there are more stirring tales – more thrilling episodes – taking place nightly and daily on the bombing raids and daylight sweeps than even the most imaginative writer could conceive. Every airman has trips to talk about that are really stirring – pulse tingling and bound to stir those who read and hear about them – few do. But on the other hand that lack of imagination keeps them from visualizing horrors – enables them to wait for anything – then regardless of what comes – take it in stride. If you go thru a real blitz you can better appreciate what I mean. The French imagined what a blitz on Paris would mean – they quit – gave up – Englishmen fail to let their imaginations run away with them – they took the blitz in stride – calmly – bravely – stupidly at times – but they took it – they won – and they are if anything better off for the experience. They lost their homes – their belongings – their families – but they gained a sense of comradeship – they learnt that there are more important things than money and wealth and property. They felt as a fighter pilot does when he shoots down a Jerry – as we do when we drop our bombs – that they had accomplished something – that they were worth their salt.
The Englishman lacks imagination – fire and pep it is true – but he possess[es] other qualities that more than make up for it.
Now for their lack of foresight – that is a more serious drawback – when the battle is on they show unexpected resources. … They work at breakneck speed to solve problems on the spur of the moment – they are capable of improvising under any set of circumstances, to meet any problem that confronts them while the battle is on. It is true that man for man the British more than holds his own – civilian or soldier. But when the immediate danger is over they sink back to their old ways – and ideas. They seem to be incapable of preparing wholeheartedly for future exigencies.
The fall of France set them feverishly to prepare for the immediate attack on these islands. That danger passed for the time being – the people once more slipped back – everything is running smoothly now – there is no thought of a Russian collapse – of a German onslaught here. Many leaders see it – and trying to warn the people of it – but you just can’t stir or excite an Englishman. If it comes – they will worry about it then. When they arrive they will figure out ways and means of handling the invaders. Feverish preparation now is out of the question – wait
and see.
And so thousands of gallons of gas are used up by joy riders – and so the old red tape method of running and doing things – thus England rides along to her destiny – solid – slow-moving unimaginative England – fundamentally the same old England.
And so intelligent leaders, writers and thinkers worry – the papers without exception clamour for farsighted and vigorous action on the home front. … Britain, thanks to Churchill is once again the upholder of all the ideals that most countries expect of her – but he needs a vice-premier to look after the home front – to gear up all the branches of industry – to rout out the deadheads – to enable Britain to face the future with more than fortitude – with all the implements, materials, ideas and organization for any eventuality.
There is still another aspect about these Englishmen. Everybody know[s] of their patriotism and it is well justified and has been put to the acid test – but the majority of people here are small “towners.” They have not travelled – many of them have never been out of their own constituency. They think everybody else is inferior to an Englishman. They know little about the education, culture, life or ways of other people. What is worse they don’t try to learn anything about anyone else and what is still worse – they don’t give two hoots in hell about anybody else – at least they didn’t. But they are starting to think a little differently now.
Firstly the “colonials” a word they are frightened to use now are showing them a thing or two. We – that is Canadians, New Zealanders, Aussies etc – are bigger – smarter – more independent – original – than our equivalent ranks here. What is more we are used to a higher standard of living – we know more about people – have seen more countries – have done more than the people we mix with here. It is beginning to slowly seep thru that the English are not quite tops in this small world of ours. Then the crowning flaw has been their realization that America is now the big cheese – not England. Of course they still feel that good old England is still tops – but facts and figures don’t lie – and American results are finally convincing them that there are a lot of fine fish in the sea.
Joey Jacobson's War Page 17