The Shelley Tasker Show

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Broadcasts live every Wednesday at 7:00p.m. uk time on Radio Soapbox: http://radiosoapbox.com

In this episode of the Shelley Tasker Show, the host takes us on a historical journey, reflecting on the significance of VE Day and the events surrounding World War II. With Shelley on a well-deserved hiatus, the host delves into the poignant speeches of Winston Churchill and the controversial broadcasts of Lord Haw Haw, exploring the complexities and the aftermath of the war. The episode also touches on the Katyn Forest massacre and the political intricacies involving Poland, shedding light on the often overlooked narratives of the war.

Listeners are treated to a series of historical clips and personal testimonies from war veterans, offering a raw and unfiltered perspective on the human cost of war. The host questions the necessity of the war and reflects on the lessons learned, drawing parallels with modern conflicts. The episode is interspersed with music, including a cover of a Rival Sons song, adding a reflective and emotional layer to the discussion. The host concludes with a call to remember the fallen and to critically examine historical narratives, urging listeners to seek the truth beyond the mainstream accounts.

[00:01:00] Unknown:

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen.   Welcome to the Shelley Tasker Show. Yes. You're stuck with me again this week. Shelley is on a hiatus   and, a well deserved one, as I say. And, the weather is still stunning   for, good old Shelley and her other half   and her little one, and, hopefully, they're enjoying the time.   So,   yeah, we are well, today's date, as I should say, welcome one and all, as she always says.   Today's date is,   the May 7. Yes. We are on the eve   of VE Day or should I say   victory in Europe Day. Whose victory? I'm I'm still not quite sure.   But,   yeah, that that's where we are. So I've got a little clip here to play you that's rather poignant,   and we will kick off   with this.  



[00:01:56] Unknown:

This is London.  

[00:01:58] Unknown:

The prime minister of the right honorable Winston Churchill.   Yesterday morning   at 02:41AM,   at General Eisenhower's headquarters,   General Jodl,   the representative   of the German high command,   and of Grand Admiral Donitz,   the designated   head   of the German state,   signed the act   of unconditional   surrender   of all   German   land,   sea, and air forces in Europe   to the Allied Expeditionary   Forces   and simultaneously   to the Soviet   High Command.   Hostilities   will end   officially   at one minute after midnight tonight,   Tuesday,   May.   But in the interest of saving lives, the ceasefire   began yesterday   to be sounded   along all the fronts.  

And, our dear Channel Islands   are also to be freed today.   The German war is therefore at an end.   After years of intense preparation,   Germany hurled herself on Poland   at the September   1939.   And in pursuance of our guarantee to Poland   and in common with the French Republic,   Great Britain, the British Empire, and Commonwealth of Nations   declared   war upon this foul aggression.   After gallant France had been struck down,   we from this island and from our United Empire   maintained   the struggle   single handed   for a whole year   until we were joined   by the military might of Soviet Russia   and later by the overwhelming   power and resources   of The United States Of America.  

Finally,   almost the whole world   was combined against the evildoers   who are now frustrated   before us.   Our gratitude to our splendid allies   goes forth from all our heart   in this island and throughout the British Empire.   We may allow ourselves   a brief period of rejoicing.   But let us not forget for a moment the toils and efforts that lie ahead.   Japan   remains unsubdued.   We must now devote all our strength and resources   to the completion of our tasks,   both at home and abroad.   Advance Britannia.   Long live the cause of freedom.   God save the king.  



[00:05:21] Unknown:

So there you go. That was Churchill's speech right at the end of, well, just as the armistice had been signed.   Obviously,   it was actually him reading it because he's there on footage reading it.   As with many of his speeches, it wasn't actually him reading it because he was too too drunk to do so.   Can you believe?   So, yeah, victory in Europe.   As,   Churchill said, you know, the the Germans   thrust themselves upon Poland   and,   the   he's he   maintains in that speech   that they upheld their guarantee   to Poland.   I would argue that they probably didn't   uphold their guarantee to Poland because Poland was overrun   And in actual fact, the Polish army   in exile and the Polish air force in exile   was basically stationed in Britain   for the time as as as was the French army and air force.  

It's it's very interesting actually that   general Sikorsky who was in charge of the Polish army in exile   was,   I personally think, assassinated   after he asked   the,   asked the British to investigate the truth behind the matter   of the Katyn Forest massacre.   By all means, folks, go and look that up. I'm pretty sure that most sources you will look at   will tell you that it was a German massacre in the Katyn Forest   of all the Polish army and, yeah, all the Polish generals. And he yes. General Sikorsky asked that the you know, he wasn't convinced   that it was the Germans,   and he wanted it looked into because most of his high command had been   wiped out,   in that massacre.  

And,   well,   basically because   the Brit the British didn't want to implicate the Soviets at at that time. You will find that in most of the sources you look at nowadays,   will implicate the Germans in the Katyn Forest Massacre.   Even though if you if you look up to look at modern, like, really modern day sources, yes, I think we've   finally discovered after all this time   that it was actually the Russians   that that massacred that that, undertook the Katyn Forest Massacre.   But at the time, Germany was held   accountable   and General Sikorsky wanting it looked into   became persona non grata with the British government.  

And on a flight   that was to leave Gibraltar with General Sikorsky on board   and, I believe,   members of his family and entourage,   the plane took off from Gibraltar   and   for some reason ditched   in the ocean,   and the only surviving   member of that flight   was the pilot.   How does that work?   I don't know. Answers on the back of a postcard, folks.   By all means,   give me your opinions.   Ma,doublel,[email protected].   So, that wasn't the only broadcast that took   that took place during that time. I've got another one for you, here from,   Lord Haw Haw, William Joyce,   commonly known as Lord Haw Haw.  

He   was an American born citizen.   He also held a British passport which didn't hold him in very good stead at the end of the war   And, so   Lord Haw Haw was responsible. So, it's it's an interesting fact actually that I've played quite a few songs on the show on on on Shelley show and on, the Kerno connection when we were doing that.   We played a lot of songs from Charlie and his orchestra. I'm sure I will have some lined up for you later on in the show.   But,   Charlie and his orchestra were the   were the music providers for Lord Haw Haw's show. And   at 12:00   12AM   at night,   the BBC,   the British bull sorry. The British Broadcasting   Corporation   would   cease to transmit,   at which point   the rest of the the rest of Europe was subject   to the,   huge transmitter, I believe, that was in Luxembourg,   shortwave radio.  

And,   Lord Haw Haw or William Joyce would, present a show,   which would always be started up with this is Germany calling,   Germany calling.   And he would   he would push German propaganda.   He would   also   make light   of   some of the British propaganda that had been pushed towards the British and the allies.   He would he he would, shed some light on some of the truths   of whether, you know, whether that was right or not.   He would also, you know,   broadcast various   true and fake false events.   It was part of the German propaganda   engine. And the fact that they had a very British speaking person   to, you know, to host that show,   radio being a very important medium,   particularly at the time, but I think particularly now as well.  

They would use that.   It could be picked up in Britain,   and they would use that to   push German propaganda and, you know,   some truths of what had really occurred in certain battles and things like that. You know, some of the British defeats and things like that would be transmitted over here so that people would know   or or or it would shed some light or or or the German slant of what was going on at the time.   Famously, Churchill used to listen to Lord Haw Haw's broadcasts,   probably next day on recording because he was probably fast asleep at that point having drunk several bottles of brandy etcetera etcetera.   I'm sure it was to combat toothache and things like that, whiskey and brandy and cigars and   but, yeah, he famously actually quite enjoyed some of Charlie and his orchestra's   songs and and things like that. So,   I've got a broadcast here. This is the final broadcast   of William Joyce, Lord Haw Haw, and this is literally,   I can't remember   when it this must have been   April or May   1945.  

He does sound   a little,   shall we say, intoxicated   at the time.   But then, I guess,   it was all over for Germany at that point and he'd spent the last four years supporting their cause if not more. He was also actually interestingly a member of the British Union of Fascists over here which is why he defected over to Germany   because as we well know on this show and other   other independent media shows,   as we well know,   all Mosley's Blackshirts were,   as many that didn't escape at least, were locked up in the 18 b   internment law,   that was and they   basically incarcerated   the Blackshirts   and Mosley,   and various others, you know, political people of the time,   who were in opposition to the war. They all got incarcerated under the 18 b interment law, which, the 18 b interment law, just in case any of any of you didn't know, was actually a law bought in to combat   the the IRA.  

And,   anyone that was,   under suspicion of being a member of the IRA under the 18 b Internment Law   could be interned   or interred for   four years   without   charge.   So no charges had to be bought and they could incarcerate you for up to four years, and at the end of that four years, if there was no charges brought against you, you'd be released.   Well, that sorted out most of the war for   Oswald Mosley and his Blackshirts and the Fascist Movement over here.   Along with other prominent people, for instance,   Archibald Moll Ramsey,   who wrote an amazing book   called,   The Nameless War,   was actually a member of parliament at the time. But because he was in opposition   to the the government's stance,   you know, much like COVID deniers and things like that, he got locked up for the entire   four years and on the day of his release,   he caught a taxi   from the prison   straight back to his seat   in Parliament. So if anyone wants to look up that little book, it's it's on archive.org.  

It's called The Nameless War by Archibald Maul Ramsey,   m a u l, Maul.   Archibald Moore Ramsey,   the name is   a book well worth reading. It covers some of the stuff that my granddad covers in his book, Hidden Government, but it precedes   my granddad's   observations. So I,   the subjects he covers   take place   before my granddad's book was written. So things like the French Revolution, that kind of thing, and who was behind it.   So anyway, Lord Haw Haw,   left Britain to escape the 18 b interment laws, defected over to Germany, and ended up becoming a broadcaster. So I wanna play this for you. This is his final   broadcast,   from Germany before he was captured   by the British,   or should I say turned no. He was actually captured by the British. He gave a false identity, but they eventually found out who he was.  

And despite being   born in America,   because he held a British passport,   they tried him in The UK after the war   for high treason,   which to this day   still holds   the sentence   of hanging.   So he was hung,   for his escapades over in Germany despite the fact that he wasn't although he was a British citizen, he wasn't born in Britain.   So there's some discrepancies there.   His final speech actually is well worth a read, and I'll dig some excerpts out for you before the end of the show.   But this is his final broadcast   from Germany. So, hold tight, folks. This is Lord Haw Haw, William Joyce. Final broadcast, 1945.   You can easily find it on YouTube,   if you miss bits of it. So there we go.  

Calling.  

[00:17:20] Unknown:

Germany calling.   Here are the right center, ambush   station Bremen   and station DXB on the 31 meter pad.   Good evening.   I am talking to you   about   Germany.   That is a concept   that many of you   may have failed to understand.   Let me tell you that in Germany   there still remains   the spirit of unity   and the spirit of strength.   Let me tell you that here we have a united   people   who are modest in their wishes.   They are not imperialists.   They don't want to take what doesn't belong to them.   All they want is to live   their own simple life,   undisturbed   by outside   influences.  

I can   remember   when I cast my   memory back   to 1932   and 1931,   I can remember   how   everything   could be done   to stimulate   the hatred   of England   against Germany   and WASPAD.   I asked Joel to remember   that in 1939,   in August,   the only question was that had been   Danfisch   back the Reich,   no more and no less.   What a small   problem that was   in comparison   with those   that confront us today.   Surely,   if only   we had had the common sense   to agree,   that the German people   of Danfisch   should go back to the Reich,   then   we might have had peace.   Now I say to you,   my English listeners,   the trouble is this.  

Germany,   if you like,   is   not anymore   the chief factor in Europe.   Germany, maybe.   I may be wrong.   I will only say   that German in arms have been in many battlefields   defeated. But   I ask you,   how could it ever be possible for   England   to maintain a front   against   Soviet Russia   unless   she had the help   of the German legions.   I can only say that I have,   day in and day out,   called the attention   of the British people   to the menace   from the East which confronted them.   And if they will not hear,   if they are to tell a note to hear,   then   I can only say   that the fate which overcomes them in the end   will be   The fate they have measured.  

More, I can say.   And I beg you to realize   the fight is on.   You have heard something   about the Battle of Berlin.   You know   that there a tremendous,   world   shattering conflict.   It's been very   good.   I would like to say that the men who have died   in the Battle of Merriman   have given their lives to show   that whatever else happens,   Germany will live.   And therefore I say to   you, in these   last   words,   you may not   hear from me again   for a few months.  

[00:22:32] Unknown:

I say,  

[00:22:44] Unknown:

and farewell.  

[00:22:51] Unknown:

Interesting stuff. So the two points I wanna bring up from that little speech there   is he talks about the Danzig Corridor, what we know as the Polish Corridor,   whatever. He what he's talking about there is essentially that during the Treaty of Versailles,   they deemed you know, the Treaty of Versailles which occurred after World War one, they'd, the allies   obviously deemed Germany being, you know, the the bad guys then too.   They deemed that Poland   should have access to the sea.   So they granted them,   they granted them access to the sea, which actually annexed.   And what I mean by annexed, it made an island out of the, you know, an island out of   the province of Danzig.  

And,   well, how does a country   how does a country prosper   or part of a country prosper if it is separated   from the rest of its country, own country? So Danzig was still part of Germany,   but was annexed. It was it was separated from Germany by the access that Poland was given to the sea.   And this was obviously, you know,   this is what kicked off supposedly   World War two.   The rather like, you know, the,   the   the Russian speaking   speaking people   being in the Donbas and, of of course, Russia had to go in. I've I've commonly drawn parallels between the the playbook,   the same playbook being used for for both, conflicts.  

So   what a small problem that really was, as he said in the speech there. What a small problem that really was. And when you think of how many   millions of people had to die   because that problem wasn't sorted out,   Basically, Britain gave its guarantee   that going back to the Churchill speech, Britain gave its guarantee to Poland   that if it was invaded,   particularly over the dense corridor   problem,   that Britain would do everything in its power to help out Poland. Well it didn't,   didn't send any troops to Poland,   France didn't either, they were part of the guarantee,   nobody sent any troops to Poland,   They   just allowed the Germans in six, seven days   to take over the whole of Poland.  

Not the whole of Poland, but we'll get there in a minute. But so the Danzig Corridor was was basically the the   precursor, if you like, for for World War two occurring.   The Polish were apparently I don't know. I wasn't there. But the Polish were apparently massacring,   indigenous German people in Danzig.   And   the German establishment didn't want to stand by while that was going on. Also,   the fact that   they had repeatedly tried,   the National Socialist regime had repeatedly tried to   bargain with Poland and say, you know,   we'll build a railway so that we can link the two things and we'll pay for the whole lot. We'll build a railway, we'll build an auto ban, a motorway,   or a freeway, whatever you guys wanna call it.  

We'll build that free of charge so that we can link our countries,   you know, up the the two parts of our country back together. It won't incur   on   Poland's access to the sea. We just want access. You know, we want to, you know, Germans to be able to freely travel between Germany,   the different provinces of Germany.   And,   the the Americans   and the British said, no. No. Stand firm.   We will,   guarantee. We guarantee. The Polish guarantee. We guarantee that we will come to your aid should Germany invade. Well, they didn't.   Now there's a very interesting thing regarding this and that is the Pact of Steel. So the Pact of   Steel was,   a deal brokered between Soviet Russia   and Germany,   whereby   if Germany   did invade Poland,   there would be no aggression from Russia.  

And the,   basically, to to to put it really simply,   the deal that was brokered was,   well, if we invade Poland together, nobody can say anything, can they? And we'll divide it down the middle, and Russia can have half of Poland,   and we'll have the other half as long as it includes Stanzic.   Great. So that was what the Pact of Steel essentially was. Alright. I'm sort of simplifying it, but essentially, that's what the Pact of Steel was.   On the September 1, Germany invaded   1939.   And, oh, poor old Stalin wasn't quite ready in time   to do it,   on that day. So they didn't invade until a week later or a couple of weeks later, something like that.  

But if if you look it up, guys, you go go online, you can see German and Russian   troops shaking hands   across the demarcation   line of Poland   where they had agreed   to separate Poland, you know, to divide Poland between themselves. That was the Pact of Steel.   Was anything,   you know,   because because,   essentially Hitler, if you like, or the German army, if you like,   went in and   they went in first   because although Stalin's army was supposed to go in on the same day and that was prearranged,   they didn't.   So, oh, the naughty Germans become the aggressors.   And then later on the Soviets invaded and, yes, they divided it down the middle. There was no   issue between them.  

There was also no issue between the British   and the Soviets   regarding the Pact of Steel   and the fact that,   you know,   so the Soviet Russia had invaded the other half of Poland.   The British didn't seem to have an issue with that, but they did take issue with Germany.   Now,   so that's one interesting point. The other interesting point that, Lord Haw Haw or William Joyce brought up in that little broadcast there was that   Russia intended or communist Russia intended   taking over Europe anyway.   That was that was the plan.   There had been relentless coups in Germany in the interim years between the two wars.  

You   know, battles between the communists and the people that didn't want to be communists.   Yeah. All over Europe were they they were suffering this problem.   And I'll,   I'll bring you back to a speech actually   by Winston Churchill, if I can just find the book   here a second.   Alright. So I'll take you back to a speech that I've already read here on the show, but it's an interesting one. It's by Winston Churchill.   And he got this is and he's talking about you know, this was published in 1920,   and he's talking about the communist   Bolshevik whatever problem   in Europe.  

And he's saying,   this worldwide   conspiracy for the overthrow of civilization   and for the reconstitution   of society on the basis of arrested   development,   that means slowing down a country's development if anyone wasn't,   anyone is normal   of envious malevolence   and impossible   equality, oh, yeah, we've got a bit of that nowadays haven't we, has been steadily growing.   There is no need to exaggerate the part played in the creation of Bolshevism   and in the actual bringing about of the Russian Revolution   by those   international and for the most part   atheistical Jews.  

It is certainly a very great one. It probably overweighs   all others. Should I be doing this in a Churchill voice? I'm not sure.   With the notable exception of Lenin,   the majority of the leading figures   are Jews. Moreover,   the principal   inspiration and driving power comes from Jewish leaders. So that is Winston Churchill, the illustrated Sunday Herald,   02/08/1920.   So,   when,   William Joyce is talking about   how Germany   held back   communism   against Britain.   Yeah.   Germany was the bulwark against communism   across Europe.   As we touched on the speech last week with Benjamin Friedman,   Some people had decided in Germany that it was either gonna be communist or it was gonna be Christian, and they decided that it was gonna be Christian, and they were gonna fight for every ideal to make sure that it stayed that way.  

If Germany hadn't stood   in the way   of Soviet Russia as it did in 1941   and pushed them all the way back into Russia,   there is every reason to believe,   I might be wrong, but there is every reason to believe   that most of Europe would have become communist.   So it's very interesting, you know, that he mentions in that speech   that, you know,   Germany   was holding back the Soviets   from the rest of Europe.   And had it not been for Germany,   Britain would have Britain would have not been protected.   So   there you go. So   I got another interesting speech for you here.   I've got quite a few of them this evening.  

So I got another interesting speech for you here, but I'm gonna play it after the bottom of the hour.   I'm gonna lighten the mood slightly.   It is Shelley's show after all. Sorry, Shelley, if you're listening. I gotta lighten the mood slightly. I gotta put on put on a little tune here.   And,   well, what should what should I put on here? Oh, here we go.   So   I gotta put on this one. I haven't played it for a a long, long time, actually,   but this one is Wiz Jones and Touch Has a Memory and I will see you guys in a few minutes.   Enjoy.  



[00:34:26] Unknown:

Touch has a memory   better than the other senses.   Hearing and sight fight free.   Touching has no defenses.   Has no defenses. Textures   come back to   reuse can be.  

[00:34:53] Unknown:

And  

[00:34:55] Unknown:

has a memory.   Seeing   forgets   the sight.   Touch recollects   precisely.   Eyelids are modest,   yet blink at a kiss.   Touching   takes note of this.   When in a later day,   little of the vision lingers.   Memory   slips away,   every way   but through the fingers.   Textures   come back to   real as can be.   And touch   has a memory.   When in a later day,   little love of vision lingers.   Memory   slips away   every way   through the fingers.   Textures   come back to   dreams can be,   making you feel   that   doesn't heal  

[00:38:02] Unknown:

There you go. Wiz Jones.   Touch as a Memory. Brilliant. If if ever you guys wanna look him up, he is,   probably one of my favorite folk artists. Used to perform a lot in Newquay in his younger years.   So you Newquay being my   kind of my hometown.   Yeah. So interesting stuff. You are listening to the Shelley Tasker Show. It is   twenty to eight in the evening on the May 7, the eve of Victory in Europe Day. As I say, whose victory?   I'm not quite sure,   because   certainly,   to quote one of my favorite quotes,   'If the guys   storming the Normandy Beaches had seen what Britain looked like today they wouldn't have gone 20 paces up the beach'. So, thank you David Irving for that little quote which I use so often.  

So   was the war entirely   necessary? Was it?   I suppose you could argue   for and against in many respects.   And look, don't get me wrong. I am not   not   against the troops that went there. I am against the government decisions that made it take place in the first place.   So one of my   I've got many many wartime heroes. That's my chosen subject   is sort of World War II era stuff   and not so much the political side of stuff, but really the,   the men on the the men on the ground or even the men in the air,   the men on the ground, they were the people,   who they were the people whose testimonies   I read   most of the time. Most of the books that I have in my archive here   are actually testimony   from   people that served on the Eastern Front, you know, people that served in Italy, you know, regardless of whether it's German, English, whatever.  

And it's it's very telling.   You know, even this weekend, I went away this last weekend,   and,   I bumped into a guy who was ex Royal Navy. And, alright, he he was nothing to do with World War one or two. He was,   he was present at the   Yugoslav War, and he was also present,   during the Argentinian   War. And some of the stories he had to tell   were nothing short of horrific   piles of   dead teenagers at the side of the road and things like that. Really, really not pleasant at all.   So anyway,   when we're talking about political decisions and, you know, the men on the ground and the men,   you know, in in high places,   One of the people   I say high places,   I mean government. But one of the people,   who piqued my interest many, many years back was a guy called Adolf Galland.  

And, he was   probably   the youngest, most highly decorated   man in the German Luftwaffe   at the time. And I've got a really short clip   here,   really short, but it's very telling   regarding   Hitler's thoughts when it came to,   you   know, going to war against Britain   and and all that kind of thing.   I'm just trying to dig it out here so I'm filibustering a little bit. I'm hoping   this is the right clip. If it's not oh, here we go. This is the one. So, at Ofgeeland,   German D'afois for general on Hitler's affection   for the English. See what you think about this one. I had the occasion to talk to him.   Oh, hang on. It's a bit quiet. So let me just start that again, and I will   boost the volume somewhat as it needs doing. Right. There we go.  



[00:42:01] Unknown:

Without   I had the occasion to talk to him   without any other company.   And   I told him, we will have the opportunity   to attack London   when London is covered by fog,   and we can   fly with everything we have rated, even with the Junkers fifty two like we did in Wasow.   And he said, stop it. Stop it. I don't want   to hear this.   The the whole attack on England is against my opinion, against my willing.   I would like I could stop it.   The English population is   of such high class, and they are so similar to the Germans   that I hate to fight England.  

[00:42:53] Unknown:

Okay. That was that was apparently Hitler's opinion.   And,   you know, if anyone wants to look that up, they can. It's on YouTube. There's there's lots of Adolf Galland,   interviews   that you can go and look up. But I thought that was a very pertinent little thing.   The fact that he had the   the the occasion to talk to Hitler on his own and said, look, you know, we can do this. We could we could we could saturate London, and we we could just get the job done. And he said, I don't want to hear it. It. I don't want to hear   it. It's it's, you know, the the English people are of such high caliber   and they are cousins essentially to the to the Germans.  

It was also used   really, as far as politically, as far as the Germans were concerned as a faint attack   because they knew that the Russians were waiting to sweep across Europe.   Anyone that is,   familiar with the Operation Barbarossa,   thing that occurred so that the Operation Barbarossa was the invasion   into The Soviet Union by the Germans. Operation Barbarossa   was entirely   successful, entirely   successful,   because the Russian troops   and the Russian military,   might of the Russian military,   was positioned in such a way   that it was very easy to take out. So, if you are positioning your troops and   your   war material, let's put it that way,   your tanks, your planes, blah blah blah, if you are positioning your war material in a defensive   manner,   It's very, very difficult   to penetrate   that. But because they were positioned   ready to attack Germany, because they were waiting for Germany to get weak enough,   because they were in conflict with Britain and France and etcetera etcetera.  

Or by '41, they weren't in in,   you know,   in conflict with France, but they were certainly in conflict with Britain.   Russia was waiting for Germany to get weak enough so that it could steamroll into Germany,   which I'm sure would have suited the Brits very well. Remember, the Brits didn't react and didn't even you know, I didn't even learn in school when I did my history.   When we did the Pact of Steel in my history lessons at school, there was no mention   the fact that   they'd already divided Poland down the middle between Germany and The Soviet Union.   So   all The Soviet Union's   war material and troops   were positioned ready for the offensive   rather than the defensive.  

And when you're positioned for the offensive,   you tend to   bunch all your stuff into one place so that it rolls forward in one good movement.   If you're positioned   defensively,   it's spread out so that   they might penetrate the first bit, the Germans might penetrate the first bit, but they won't penetrate the next bit or they'll find it increasingly harder and harder   to progress.   No, that wasn't the case. Operation Barbarossa was entirely successful because all Russia's   war material was positioned   for the offensive, which meant it was all bunched together. So it was very easy to decimate   huge swathes of the Russian war machine   and they did. They pushed them all the way back to the East, all the way back to Moscow and to Stalingrad.  

So,   the   very fact that they were able to roll so quickly forward was down to the fact that Russia was positioned to attack.   The Germans knew that. The British knew that.   You know, you could you could probably say the Americans knew that   as well   at the time.   So   Operation Sea Lion, which was the supposed invasion of Britain,   was   really a faint attack.   Hitler never had any intentions to take over the British Isles.   I'm not saying they didn't plan to invade, they did. They had all the plans drawn up ready and probably would have followed through with it,   you know, had other things not occurred.  

For instance, the British radar being so   so effective   and much more operational   than the Germans   considered it was at the time. I can get into a bit of that later,   if I remember.   So   it's   basically a case that, you know,   Soviet Russia was was gonna roll across Europe. The Germans knew it,   and they had intelligence to say that where all   the war material was gathered. And they steamrolled over the top of it because it was all bunched together   in an offensive manner rather than defensive. That's what made it so easy.   Very, very interesting stuff. Anyway,   where are we? We're about coming up for ten to the hour, so I'm hoping I've got time to play this next clip. Okay. So this so,   here we go. This is a little clip,   recollections of an RAF squadron leader during the Battle of Britain. Let's let's go for this one.  



[00:48:30] Unknown:

My name is Gerald Stapleton.   My first name given to me by my parents was Basil,   and I had so much trouble at school   with Basil.   So I elected to have Gerald,   which is my second man.   I   first was interested in the air force   in '36   when Alan Cobham's air circus   came to our school and landed on the football field.   They were all biplanes,   and my brother had joined the air force,   my elder brother, and we'd all be always been in competition, so I decided   to join it. I joined it in January   and people who joined it at the same time at the same age,   I was 18   when I joined,   we were very lucky having a year's training,   virtually   a year's training on   also Tiger Moths,   parts, or DAXs. They're bigger biplanes.  

And then we went to an operational training unit   where we went on to,   Harvard's   and hurricanes.   After that, you were posted to a squadron.   I was initially posted to thirty two squadron at Biggin Hill   and then was posted to six zero three.   And we had older chaps there who'd been flying in peacetime with the squadron.   These were the people we felt sorry for   because they had families,   wife, children,   and they were the first ones to go.   They   were good pilots   but they weren't good combat pilots   because we'd never had any experience.   Although we did shoot a couple of   German aircraft down in Scotland,   they were bombers.  

They weren't they weren't dealing with fighters. No. They were none of us were   until we learned how to deal with   them. In that period of time,   we had quite a few casualties.   And six zero three went down to Horn Church   in   late August   nineteen forty,   and that's when   we   became engaged with the Battle of Britain.   We didn't have any idea   of combat against a large fleet of bombers and fighters.   We started flying in threes and   three aeroplanes cannot stay together.   Two can.   So after   very bad casualties in the first week,   we started flying in finger fours.  

When we say finger fours we mean that formation   exactly like that.   Two and two   and that casualties   then started to drop.   Radar would identify   foreign aircraft, but they couldn't identify   what models they were. They didn't know whether they were bombers or fighters.   So until they crossed the coast where the, observer corps on the ground   could say that   those are bombers and those are fighters and phone that information back to control.   We were sitting on the ground waiting   for us to be scrambled.   And,   then all we had to do was climb for height.   They already had height.  

They had their operational height.   And, that was a disadvantage we found ourselves in.   The one advantage we did have was the Germans were flying over enemy territory.   We lost over 500 pilots in the Battle of Britain,   but we lost over 800 aircraft.   The crash landed in Britain, but the pilots were okay.   The German pilots weren't.   They were taken prisoner of war.   And that's one of the reasons   why the Battle of Britain had the outcome it had.   There was no dogfighting.   It was in and out.   And   reform,   the leader of your flying unit.   Would say, right. We'll reform over Hornchurch or Biggin Hill   at 20,000 feet.  

And then you'd get a few of the aircraft   in in the in the squadron to   get over Biggin or Hornchurch,   reform and go back and see if there's anything you could find.   But   there wasn't one German   bomber formation   that was stopped   before it got to its target.   They were all shot down going home. There's the time element again.   That's when they were shot down.   The longer it went on,   the more you were untouchable.   You know, you'd have to chat, friends killed, and that sort of thing. But why you were lucky, you didn't know didn't answer any question.   And I know some people   who were guilty of surviving.  

Don't include me among others a lot. I wasn't guilty of surviving.   And it was pure luck   that anybody in the air force survived.   Skill,   that amount,   but that's all. And I was shot down once.   That cannon shell could have come through my fuselage and hit the, armor plate on behind me, and it throws the armor plate forward.   It would have thrown me forward, and I wouldn't have been able to get out of the airplane.   But it was lucky that it wasn't   through the fuselage.   Lucky it was in the wing.   I I was taken prisoner of war. I was shot down in Germany   and no blood.  

I jumped out of a Spitfire at night,   was shot down during the Battle of Britain,   was shot down in Germany in typhoons,   No wounds.   If that's not lucky,   I'd like to find out what is.   We had a very narrow view of the whole thing.   And,   when you're, you know, 20 years old   and in   in a Spitfire,   it was exhilarating.   You're firing at an airplane.   No question of flying at a body. You can't see the people.   And   I think   pilots were relieved when they saw a parachute.   Didn't matter which side it was.   You know, that that was a good thing that the chap got out.   And you didn't have time for regrets.  

And if you thought it was going to happen to you,   you wouldn't have been any good would you?   You can see that.   If you were scared,   uh-uh,   And you always thought it'd never happen to me.  

[00:55:40] Unknown:

It didn't.  

[00:55:42] Unknown:

You can teach   monkeys to fly better than that.  

[00:55:47] Unknown:

Going into London with twenty four hours off   from twelve to twelve,   going to a nightclub   where you had to belong to a wine club to get liquor,   and then going on to   a Turkish bath,   where you get there around about 11:00,   you'd have a Turkish bath,   sweat in the steam room,   your cold plunge,   up stairs,   you'd have a cot to sleep in   after a massage,   and by God you felt good the next day.   Those are the things that I remember.  

[00:56:38] Unknown:

Yeah. There you go.   Interesting stuff again. And that guy was, you know, 20 years old flying a Spitfire.   I've got a, a little   montage to play a little little while later of one of my heroes. I've played   it on air before, but Jeff Wellum, he we did a me and Shelly did a connection   on him. I've got that little montage to play in a little while.   But interesting that he noted in that   little clip there,   not one   bomber   raid was stopped before they reached their target.   More often, they were shot on their way home.   Now,   he also mentioned radar. So I've got a little interesting anecdote about radar.  

So   radar was known about by the British and the Germans. It was all being sort of worked upon,   after   Marconi's   sort of,   radio,   shall we say, boom,   for for a want of a better word, a bit of a pun there. But after Marconi's radio,   thing,   Basically, you know, they realized that they could use   radio and and radar, basically, to   send out transmissions, bounce them, and they would bounce back off of certain interference,   particularly metal objects.   And,   you know, we can get into window and stuff a bit later on, but   the the idea   being that you you'd be able to detect anything metal coming towards you,   from a great distance away. Now,   the Germans had been working on radar long before the British had,   and they'd become that   good at it. They they they were much more advanced than the British when it came to radar.  

One of the things,   that they realized is that if you operate on a high frequency,   you can   penetrate a lot further into an enemy territory with your radar   and get a much earlier warning.   Well,   Chief Air Marshal Dowding, who was the   he was in charge of the RAF. He was chief air he was the chief air marshal of the RAF. He was in charge of,   the fighter squadrons   during the Battle of Britain,   before and partway in. In fact, after the Battle of Britain, he was sacked, unfortunately.   But they used to call him old stuffy   because he was   very set in his ways and   liked to play things   safe.  

And although we had discovered   the fact that,   high frequency   radar   would be more effective,   we weren't ready   by 1939   and 1940.   We weren't ready. We didn't have the technology in place   ready to,   implement it.   And although it was suggested to him,   he said, No. No. I want to stick with the low frequency stuff because something that works   is better than something that we're not quite sure about. You know, at least the low frequency stuff, it's a safe bet, we know that it works,   we're going   to stick with the low frequency stuff.   And interestingly, before the Battle of Britain occurred,   the Germans   flew a zeppelin   over The UK, the entire length of The UK,   several times   scanning for radar,   looking for our radar installations.  

But they automatically   assumed   that we would be far enough ahead of   ahead with it   to be working on high frequency stuff. Well, we we weren't. Old stuffy had done his job   and hoodwinked the Germans really in hindsight, only in hindsight.   But they flew this Zeppelin over several times   with their detection equipment   and   concluded that we had no radar.   There was no radar in The UK and they couldn't believe it.   It wasn't until later years   that they realized   that there was while they were flying over The UK,   at such a high altitude in a Zeppelin that they could never have been intercepted,   they realized that there was,   interference on their equipment.  

And the interference   was caused   by our low frequency   radar   vibrating   all the rivets   in the excuse the noise in the background. I've got people popping up on Skype. I'll just drop that a sec.   We had,   so basically, yeah, their equipment picked up interference   and it turns out that the interference   was caused   by all the rivets,   the metal rivets   in the frame of the Zeppelin   vibrating   because of the low frequency   radar that we were using. But because they were scanning for a high frequency,   they concluded we had no radar,   which is why   the radar was such a surprise to the Germans.  

Yeah. When they discovered that we were using radar,   it was a surprise because they concluded that we didn't have any because they couldn't detect it.   It wasn't till going back over their   their notes,   and their their, you know, their their intel, if you like, that they discovered that the interference   was at the same frequency that our   that   our, low frequency radar was operating on.   So that was although he said, you know,   one of the con although that last pilot said that one of the contributing factors   to the Battle of Britain, you know, the success of the Battle of Britain was the fact that our men could bail out   over Britain, which was completely correct.  

It was also for the fact it was, you know, it was also for the fact that the Germans initially didn't realize that we had radar.   Also, the planes that were flying and protecting the bombers   only had enough fuel to last for about twenty minutes over London before they had to bug out and go home or ditch in the ocean on the way back and no pilot wants to have to ditch in the   ocean.   So the bombers had very little protection. They only had, like, fifteen, twenty minutes of protection while they were here.   And,   that's why, you know, if you look at what the guy said, you know, most of the bombers   were taken out on their way back,   and most of them reached their target.  

Not one was stopped   before they reached their target. That's how he worded it. I don't believe that. I'm sure a few were.   But,   interesting stuff nevertheless. Look, I've got a little tune to play for you here now because we're at the top of the hour. We're just past the top of the hour. In fact, it's going very quick tonight. I didn't expect it to.   So   I'm gonna play you this little tune here.   And after I do, I'm gonna play you the little montage that I put together for Jeff Wellum,   for the Kerno connection   a year or so back, but it's very telling.  

So here we go. This is the tune that I think we ought to have a little listen to. So this is Charlie and his Orchestra,   and it's their version. Because it so what Charlie and orchestra Charlie and his Orchestra always used to do was they'd find a very popular   Western tune,   and they'd make a parody of it. Parodies are very popular nowadays, so this one should go down well as well.   See what you guys think.  

[01:05:32] Unknown:

Here's mister Churchill's latest song dedicated to Great Britain.   I never cared for you before,   Hong Kong Burma Singapore.   Buy   buy,   empire.   India,   I may lose two, then I only have the London Zoo.   Bye bye,   empire.   There's no one here who loves and understands   me.   Nothing but heaps took bay news they all hand   me.   The Yankees   are still out of sight.   I can't figure out wrong from right.   Empire.   By  

[01:07:14] Unknown:

Yeah. What do you think of that one? Yeah. That's that's that's classic Charlie and his Orchestra.   So,   while I,   dig out this little,   montage of Jeff Wellams,   I'm gonna   give you   a little   clip here of a guy called   Harry Belinch. He's one of the last D Day veterans. I believe he's passed now. This take this is taken from a BBC,   this is taken from a BBC   broadcast.   So this is his he was a Harry Belanger was,   he was a veteran. He was present on the on the Normandy landings,   and he's got some very pertinent things to say   about,   yeah, what it was like and who the real heroes were. So here you go. Have a little listen to this. On the 06/06/1944,  

[01:08:09] Unknown:

'1 of those was Harry Billinge. He was just 18 years old at the time, and he was among the first of the British troops to land   next to me, Rana. Good morning to you. Good morning to you, dear. How are you? Tired, weary, and very sad.  

[01:08:25] Unknown:

Remembering those? Remembering everything. I can't forget.   I was in hospital in Dalfour for two years   and the consultant there was trying to help me to forget.   But I've got such a vivid memory, they couldn't help me at all.   So they said I can't do anything for you, Harry, because we've got too vivid of memory.  

[01:08:47] Unknown:

Harry, you were just 18 years old Yes. When you were one of the first wave of troops. You were a sapper Yes, I was. Of the Royal Engineers. What what a sapper being? Oh, well, I do  

[01:08:58] Unknown:

it's only a tribute to that rank. It's only a tribute to the Royal Engineers.   They do all the dodgy jobs.  

[01:09:08] Unknown:

You're 93 years old. I hope you don't mind me saying. No. And you have, I think it's fair to say, dedicated your life to remembering your friends and those years. I can't do anything else.  

[01:09:18] Unknown:

I did sixty four years in Solonstil   with a poppy appeal.   A bit too old for that, so they stopped.   Then I took out a bit I've done a lot for the landing craft and I'm president or was the president of the Royal British Legion   and the club. And I also   was the chairman   of the Southwestern   Group of the Normandy Veterans.   I'm another member   of the landing craft of which I take a great active part years ago.   And because they're still going now,   but there's no Royal   Normandy veterans now. Tell me  

[01:10:00] Unknown:

Harry about when you landed on the beaches. When I landed with hell.  

[01:10:06] Unknown:

You cannot put words   to D Day.   You see, whatever I told you would be a lot of rubbish because   I never seen any like him in line.   You had the ships firing over your head and you had the Germans flying you from inland.   88 millimetre guns they used which would blow you off the face of the earth.   All the mines and that were taken away   by   flail tanks that was called a Hobart   Funny.   They cleared certain paths   to get the men off the beach as quick as possible.   And there was   a beach master.   One bloke I knew was I said SA spoke. SA spoke.   And they they were getting everybody   off the beach.  

And a lot of fore fellas never even got out of the sea. Harry, what were you told just before you landed? Keep the leg down.  

[01:11:08] Unknown:

What was I told? What were you told to expect?  

[01:11:11] Unknown:

No. I didn't tell you anything. Just go on.   You knew what I what you knew what it was gonna be after you. I was in the 10 just days three weeks before I came over on a boat called the Fort Carilion.   And I got in with a crew. And being a silly old bloke like I am, I didn't need any army rations. I got in with the galley with the with the,   merchant navy's crew.   So I was I was a bit of a wide lad, see?   That's why I'm still here. I knew it would keep me head down. I've got a quote, Harry Yes.  

[01:11:46] Unknown:

Of you saying that when you landed on the beaches   it was either me or them and I made up my mind it wasn't going to be you. That's right. My dad told me that. Keep your head down.   And your dad was also getting killed. My dad was sold in 2400.  

[01:12:02] Unknown:

He was in a when he joined, he joined the Lancashire Regiment,   the loyal   North Lancashire Regiment.   And if you go to the Lancashire, you'll find a family name is there. There's a place just South Of Manchester called   Billings,   my name.   Apparently, we came over with William the Conqueror,   for in Normandy.  

[01:12:25] Unknown:

And your two brothers also, Bill and Alan? My brother Alan and I,  

[01:12:30] Unknown:

were very closely knit family.   My sister married an air force fella called George Buller and he and he was a air gunner w o one   and he got shot down in the sea when he was on coastal command,   and he was made a member of the Goldfish Club.   He got   shot down in bomber command   and his face was all damaged.   He went down to East Princeton and he was a member of the guinea pig club.   So everybody in my family must have been crazy,   all mad.   But we're I'm still here. My brother died last October,   thirtieth of October.   And he he was a headmaster's school in Dorchester.  



[01:13:14] Unknown:

He was a clever fella. Harry, how important is it that we see a memorial like this and and it is remembered? More than when they send me the brochure,  

[01:13:25] Unknown:

I said to them, oh, I've got to go collect some money for this.   That's what I did.   And I all the people in Stocks were very generous to me.   I made £10,000   for the memorial.   And when I came over to Aramark where they all know me,   I ran a few thousand   or a few hundred   euros.   How important is it? More important than anything I've ever done in my life.   Very, very, very important   because I knew a lot of good men,   all lovely young men who were not here,   who paid the sacrifice,   who went the whole way,   walked the seven mile and then another mile after that.   I can't explain.  

All I know is, Normandy veterans   love one another   beyond the love of women.   If you was in a hole in the ground with a boat, you got to know him.   Marvelous men,   my generation save the world.   And I didn't know for any of them. And we're grateful to you. Harry, thank you so much. A mate of mine died   in my arms and he was   in in a in a field in Caern.   He had a three week old baby. It's called Neeze.   And they took me to the sixtieth anniversary   to find out where he buried.   And they buried him in a little cemetery called   Larden Riverland.  

And I I got up there,   and I put a cross on his grave.   I'm very sorry I had this big joke.   You are absolutely entitled to. We are grateful to you. Thank you. Don't thank me and don't say I'm a hero. I'm no hero. I was lucky. I'm here. All the heroes are dead and I'll never forget them as long as I live.  

[01:15:28] Unknown:

All the heroes are dead, and he'll never forget them as long as he lives. Good old Harry Belinch. He was from St. Austell, which is really, really not very far from me at all, about about ten, fifteen minutes drive.   So this really affected, you know,   I'm gonna say it affected everyone. It affected everyone worldwide.   Pretty crazy, isn't it?   Anyway, look.   So I'm sorry I'm playing you a whole lot of clips this evening, guys. But I, you know, I mean, I could've done a bit more on,   Benjamin Friedman's speech. I could've done a bit more on granddad's book, but it's supposedly Victory in Europe Day tomorrow. And I just felt that it was more pertinent to to play these little clips here this evening. So,   yeah. All those guys storming the Normandy Beaches.  

Had they seen Britain today, would they have gone 20 paces up the beach? I guess if you spoke to Harry Belinch now, he'd probably say, yes, he would because   he was in the company of heroes. I get it. I totally get it. So were the Germans though.   And so were the Soviets.   And so were the French,   you know.   Yeah. There there's that old phrase during World War one. You know, a lot of the the Germans had   inscribed on their belt buckles,   which is German for God is with us.   And the British I've said it before on the show, but the British used to capture them and take the Mickey and say, yeah, we've got mittens too.   Got mittens.  

But, you know, so which side was God on?   Pertinent question, isn't   it?   Anyway, look. The here's a little clip that,   this is this is my one of my all time favorite   heroes,   if you can have a favorite hero.   Guy called Jeff Wellum. He was known as the boy   during,   the Battle of Britain. He was I don't know whether he was definitely the youngest, but he was 18 years old   when he went up and flew   in the Battle of Britain in a Spitfire.   And prior to that, he'd had eight hours training   in a Spitfire.   But he's got some pertinent things to say as well. So I'm gonna I'm gonna play this little clip for you. Here you go. Myself in a fighter squadron  

[01:17:46] Unknown:

at 92,   10 and a half months   after leaving the closest existence of boarding school.   That was in May   and this was September, so I don't   I was still 19 years old.   And,   I suppose really a little bit   naive or something. I hadn't thought seriously about the war.   I was happy flying Spitfires away in South Wales where it was fairly quiet.   And here I was plunged into   what   obviously was total war. Bigham was in the front line. Make no mistake about that.   Well, ninety two squadron would have been at Pembray   after Dunkirk   and   things were getting a bit rough obviously up in,   up in the Kent, Sussex.  

And we moved up to Pigeon   Hill. I think it was about the   either the seventh or the September 9. I can't remember.   But my first impression   was there's a war on.   This is serious.   The hangars were in ruins,   the buildings,   bomb craters all over the airfield with little   red flags.   And I thought,   these chaps mean business.   I was very young, you see, and,   I was very busy being happy in those days.   But my first impression was, good gracious, this is a serious business.   Broken airplanes   all around and I happened to be stupid enough to look into a cockpit of one. It   was it was blood in it and all the rest of it and it upset me a little bit. And,   I then realized that it was a serious business.  

You could see the balloons   in the Thames Estuary, which is the right   on the clear day. You could see London.   You were doing   what fighter command was all about.   You were defending our country   against the king's enemies,   against an utterly ruthless enemy.   And it was very, very real indeed.   And I looked ahead, and there was this   massive aircraft.   Again, like, Nat's on a summer evening with one zero nine's and what and I'd never seen so many.   And Brian and I were underneath them. We're climbing up   for a head on attack.   And, you know, I I I sat there and I thought, oh, what the hell do I do now?  



[01:20:33] Unknown:

Where do you start on this lot?  

[01:20:36] Unknown:

Well, the best thing, Jeff, is to turn your gun button to fire because if you don't, it won't go bang.   And I I did that and I tightened my straps. I can feel it.   Got down behind the armor plate of glass in the armor,   and we went straight into it.   I had my 20 birthday at sea in an aircraft carrier   on my way to Malta,   where I was leading a squadron of Spitfires off,   and flying them to Malta with overload tanks and   no bullets because of the weight.   I I went down in the hangar   to my Spitfire to put my   kit in it and I think, and there was this funny little man taking all the bullets out of the   I said, Colton, what's all this about?  

He said, cigarettes, sir. I said, what? He said, cigarettes.   He He said, a, they're lighter than bullets,   and b, they're shorter cigarettes and mortar they are.   And we flew   off the Balearic Islands,   off that carrier,   past   over North Africa coast, kept on to Gulf Of Tripoli,   South of LaPaduza where they had one zero nines, and we just never pull it between us. Not one.   The census was taken   taken, and eight out of 12 teachers  

[01:22:08] Unknown:

did not know  

[01:22:09] Unknown:

what the battle of Britain was.   Consequently, the children didn't.   I mean, one thought it was a riot in Birmingham or something. It's   it's unbelievable.   There was a very sort   of,   elderly lady who should have known better,   obviously   well-to-do,   who said,   oh, well, you're the second one in law. You're a chap you've gotta forget all that nonsense stuff.   And I said, I quite agree with you, man. Can you tell me how?   It's not about medals.   It's not about thank yous.   But it's nice to be remembered   because being remembered   covers everybody who served,   flew, and fought in the Battle of Britain,   covers everybody.  

And that is all we ask   is to be remembered   as all.   An airman's grace.   Lord   of thunderhead and sky,   who placed   in man   the will to fly,   Who taught his hand,   speed, skill, and grace   to soar beyond   man's dwelling place.   You shared with him the eagle's view. The right to soar as eagles do,   the right to call the clouds his home,   and grateful through your heaven's roam.   May all assembled here tonight,   and all who love the thrill of flight,   recall with twofold gratitude   your gift of wings,   your gift of food.  

[01:24:06] Unknown:

Here it comes, Jeff.   Low and fast.  

[01:24:32] Unknown:

Wonderful.  

[01:24:37] Unknown:

So the engine you just heard was the Spitfire   flying the memorial flight over Jeff Welland's   memorial service.   And,   someone was good enough to take some footage of at the time.   Very pertinent.   It makes me well up thinking about, you know, what those poor guys went through.   You know, who in their right mind in the at the age of 18 or 20 years old is gonna put themselves up in the air regardless whether you're English, German, Soviet, whatever   surrounded by fuel   with people firing incendiary rounds   at your aircraft.   You know,   the previous veteran mentioned that one of his friends was a member of the Guinea Pig Club.  

What the Guinea Pig Club has become today is an absolute travesty.   The Guinea Pig Club   was the pioneering   efforts of one particular doctor,   his name escapes me now,   who   tried to fix   all those poor pilots that had been burnt in their cockpit trying to escape.   And he he worked out that you could, you know, you could graft skin and   stuff from another area of the body and they would,   you   know, they they would graft bits of skin onto the face and eyelids and things like that, and they would they would create a tube   of flesh, like living flesh from another part of the face, which they would then stitch into the dead bit.  

It was called a pericle.   And you can you can look it up. You can go you can go online and and look up just look up the guinea pig club.   And this this pericle, this,   amalgamation of of other flesh that was taken from the face face and stitched together into a little tube would feed   the new bit of skin and and flesh that had been grafted on in order that it might take.   That today,   folks, is called plastic surgery.   And   people use it   because they don't like the look of their nose   or they don't like,   you know, they they don't like the look of, you know, certain part of their body so they have it changed. And that   that that process was created   and, you know, pioneered   during World War two for all those poor pilots that were shot up.  

So let me put it let me put it into more perspective. So it most aircraft,   even now,   most aircraft, the fuel is largely stored in the wings of the aircraft.   But in World War two, not only was it stored in the wings of the aircraft,   in fighters,   it was stored in a tank   that was literally just behind the dashboard that they were looking at with all their instruments.   If that was hit   the whole cockpit would be engulfed in flame. You'd be very lucky to get out   if you got out at all.   So you can imagine a lot of these guys there's, there's there's a   there's a really important book which I recommend everybody reads   called The Last Enemy by a guy called Richard Hillary. He was also a member of the guinea pig club.  

And he talks about taking off from Hornchurch in his hurricane   on a morning,   where they were scrambled.   They were scrambled, I e, told to take off immediately.   Scramble. Scramble. You know?   They were scrambled, and the the cockpit   hood of his hurricane was   minutes before he jumped into the aircraft.   The the ground crew had been there with files   trying   to make it so that the canopy would run smoothly because it kept sticking when they were trying to open and close it.   But there wasn't time for them to finish the job.   So   he went off, took off, scrambled, and at the point where he was hit,   he couldn't get the cut he couldn't get the lid open. He couldn't get the cockpit canopy open   and suffered   dreadful, dreadful burns,   to the point where where he eventually managed to bail out.  

Obviously in considerable pain.   He bailed out, pulled the canopy of his parachute,   and,   floated down into the ocean, into the English Channel.   And   he figured that he'd been there quite a lot. He was there floating around in the ocean in his with his May West, you know, the the life jacket.   There's an interesting story behind the May West thing. They used to call them May Wests because the singer or actress, I can't remember one of the two, at the time, a lady called Mae West had rather a big chest.   And, obviously, these life these life,   these life,   jackets,   these, you know, flotation devices obviously gave you a big chest. So they were nicknamed   Mae West. So he'd inflated his Mae West. He was floating around in the English Channel   for what he can considered to be   a long, long time.  

And he was contemplating that, you know, pretty soon he'd have the answers to everything because he figured he wasn't gonna make it.   And he thought he was floating around   until nightfall.   It wasn't nightfall at all.   His eyelids have been burnt off and his eyes have been burnt and everything slowly started going black.   Yeah. He was one of the guinea pig club. So Yeah. So the,   The Last Enemy by Richard Hillary, it's a very short book. The guy didn't survive the war. In actual fact, he convinced the air ministry to allow him to fly again   against   really the doctor's orders and,   he crashed   and was killed during a landing. I I don't know, quite what occurred. But,   these guys, man, honestly,   all of them on both sides, absolute heroes.  

So I'm gonna lighten things up again.   It's the bottom of the hour.   So I'm gonna   play something a little bit more lighthearted.   Slightly more lighthearted. So this is   a cover of a Rival Sons song called Where I've Been   and it draws a parallel between   a girl who is an addict and used to sell her body for a fix   and   a man who went to war and had seen dreadful   dreadful things.   And,   yeah, the the crux of the song, really, you know, when when,   Jay Buchanan is the is the lead singer of, Rival Sons. He normally says before they perform this one, you know, I try and talk about it because it's got a different kind of meaning.   All of us have done bad things, unseen   dreadful things. But if you allow those things to affect   your ability   to appreciate the love and affection of others,   then it's it's not a good thing. Yeah. So the the crux of the song is, you know, how can you love me when you know where I've been.  

But,   yeah, these two come together in this one. So I'll I'll play this one for you now, and I'll be back in a few minutes.   Yeah. There we go. Like I say, it's a cover, that one. I can't remember who did it now. You can if you just do a little search on YouTube for where I've been,   Rival Sons cover. You'll you'll find she she did an absolutely excellent job, actually.   So, yeah, there we go. So we are,   coming up towards well, it's it's coming up towards twenty minutes to the top of the hour. So we're we're running short of time. I've I have I've got a whole load more clips here, which I was gonna play, but we've run out of time for.   I'm gonna,   well, I should I should say, if those just tuning in, you're a bit late, but you're listening to the Shelley Tasker Show.  

Shelley is away on hiatus,   for a few weeks. I don't know how long however long she needs.   She puts in an awful lot of effort and,   puts in an awful lot of time into this. So it's a well deserved break,   and I'm more than happy more than happy to sit and fill in. I'm here every week anyway.   So what's another hour? It's fine.   So this little clip that I've got here, it's a six minute clip. It's called Surviving d d day, the incredible story of Len Perry.   And this is   yeah. So obviously,   you know, I know it's not the anniversary of d day. We kinda done that on this show.   But,   yeah. It's yeah. This is this is quite a pertinent little clip. Anyway, I'm gonna play this one  

[01:38:20] Unknown:

for   you now. The landing craft came in, and it was awful really because one or two, you saw a fall over on the beach on the sand. We felt that the guy just tripped, you know? And then suddenly it come into your mind   of four shots been   shot.   It hit you just like that.   We realized how lucky we were on board our comfortable trip. These lands that made the initial landing, there was a lot of them didn't make it, you know.   My name is Leonard Perry, and I was born in 1923.   We were the age of 14 to 15.   There was this tension   that we were ready for war. We found that time exciting, to be honest. There were about six of my friends. We all got together on our bikes, and we went out to Bighorn Hill, and we laid there in the grass and waited to see if the bombers had come,   and they did. They really attacked Bighorn Hill area in terribly.  

They died bombing. We, in actual fact, were quite scared because the noise   was tremendous.   With the bridge too far for us, we'd learned a lesson. And then they started night bombing. The siren was a frightening sound. It was a wailing sound.   The first full heavy raid on London was in daylight,   and they attacked the docks.   Then they came back at night. They needed no navigation   whatsoever   because the fires are so strong.   They just followed where the fires were, and they dropped their bombs. My brother-in-law, the fireman, he'd been up up for some three nights when I saw him, and he said that we couldn't cope. The main supply of water was broken by the bombing.   They siphoned water out of the Thames, and then they relayed it by pumps. The docks were burning for some three days before the fire brigade got them under control.  

The Germans then were using   flying bombs. The very first one we saw, we didn't know what it was. They didn't fly terribly high, so you could see them quite plainly.   They were like a torpedo in the sky.   They sounded like a two stroke motorcycle.   They used to fly over, the engine would stop, and then they would fall like a stone.   That really did upset people knowing. They really didn't know if they were going to be killed the next day. So I was 17 when I joined the navy. I was then allotted to be a stoker,   which meant you worked in the engine room. And then we set off for Northern Russia and heading for Murmansk.  

Several of those boats were sunk. We had to pick up the people from the water.   When we got to Murmansk, we felt sorry for the people. They were bombed regularly   by the Germans. In fact, the Germans, they used to train some of their crews   on a bombing run to Momenz.   We used to go to squeak Russian in the navy. Cabridges, freaking up bars and things. People that have been on the convoys before said,   save all your chocolate and sweets that you can for the children.   We give them these sweets,   and their little hands   used to come up. And they were so lovely, these children. They didn't need them right away. They took them home for their appearance.  

We organized a little party for these children. The Russian girls were lovely dancers. Even if you couldn't dance, they'd take you round. We forgot the wall for that evening.   It was   lovely.   In 1944,   they disbanded the Russian convoys   on the build up for d day. They needed everything. We went to Juno Beach, and apparently, that was the Canadian landing. And we were instructed to fire inland, and we were firing almost at maximum range,   keeping the Germans back off the beaches.   We went back to escort another lot from Portsmouth. The American backup, we were taking them over. The e boats attacked them and set fire to them, and they went down. There were hundreds of Americans in the water.   It was awful to see them. There were lightness in the water,   drowned,   floating,   the fall on the water was blazing,   the men in the blazing oil, it was awful, but our skipper, Lieutenant Commander Murch, great bloke, he disobeyed all rules and he went in to pick up a load of these fellas   and we pulled out a lot of these jerks.  

In 1944   I had a few days leave so I went home and and I was so shocked that   when my mother said that my my brother had been killed in Italy,   He was two years older than me, and we were very close. Before the war we always done things together. I go to the, cemetery and sit there,   and then I wander up and down the lines and,   look at all those names and all those young men. These men died so that we could enjoy   our present time. My brother was 26 when he died.   There's never a winner and a war, you see. So why on earth do you start one? With good leadership, we shouldn't have wars anymore. I look at these local wars now, you know, it's so silly. Taking a knife, what does it do?   I think majority of people that went through a war feel the same. There's got to be a better way.  



[01:44:09] Unknown:

Yeah. There's gotta be a better way, isn't there? And who really   who really benefits   from all this? You know? What what did we gain   really from World War two   other than to crush crush the Nazi war machine that according to Adolf Galland,   you know, had no truck with Britain?   You know, I I said I would read out this little thing from,   William Joyce. So this is one of his last testimonies before he was hung   for treason. Even though he was born in America, he was hung for high treason   in The UK. This is his words, not mine. So anyone that wants to take offense, by all means, just send me an email and tell me you were offended.   Ma,doublel,[email protected].  

So this is William Joyce's last testament. He says, in death,   as in this life, I defy the Jews who caused this last war,   and I defy the power of darkness   which they represent.   I warn the British people against the aggressive   imperialism   of the Soviet Union, I. E. Bolshevism.   May Britain be great once again   and in the hour of the greatest danger to the West,   may the standard of the Hakonkruz,   I e I e the swastika,   be raised from the dust,   crowned with the historic words,   which,   I am proud to die for my ideals.   And I'm sorry for the British sons   sorry. I am sorry for the sons of Britain   who have died   without knowing why.  

Why did why did we wage war against   Germany? Was it because of Poland? Well, I don't think so.   Because what happened to Poland after the war?   And, you   know, going back to the Katyn Forest massacre that general Sikorsky wanted investigated   was was assassinated   as a result.   All   the second World War did   was pitch Europeans   against Europeans.   If Germany wanted to expand East   that was up to Germany   not up to The UK   and let's face it   the East was Russia   and the East   was the Russia that we turned a blind eye to them invade invading Poland   at the same time or a week later   than Germany did and   dividing it down the middle. It's not ever   represented   in   educational,   situations.  

Here in the here in The UK, I did my my two years I I chose history as   a I chose history as a supposed option   for my last two years of schooling and I did my exam in history, you know,   as a result. But   after   after leaving school   and living my reprobate teenage years as as we all tend to nowadays,   no responsibility   really needed.   After all that and settling down and having a family,   I started to look into things again because you know what? I I had an interest in aviation. That's all it was. I I loved   Spitfires and Chucks Away Boys and Weren't We Great.   And it isn't until you get into studying.  

You you listen to all the testimonies of the British pilots, they're all freely available on YouTube.   Listen to the testimonies of the British pilots and   you you kind of think well, how was a whole nation   how was a whole nation? I'm talking about Germany here. How was a whole nation   hoodwinked   into believing the wrong thing   if if indeed it was the wrong thing? How was how did a whole nation   suddenly become   evil?   I don't believe they did. I don't believe the populace of Germany   believed   that they were evil and were doing it for evil's sake.   You know, going back to the Benjamin Friedman speech last   last week and I've got loads more of that to play in coming shows. So Shelly, you've you've got plenty of time off if you need.  

Going back to those speeches,   you know, it makes it quite obvious that all wars   are bankers' wars because they have to be funded. All wars have to be funded, and I include   the the recent Russia Ukraine   nonsense   going on.   I've said it so many times,   but, you know, if Russia   was   if Russia was really the aggressive   bear that we believe it to be, why didn't they just go in and get the job done?   Why did they turn it into a long and protracted   war   which then   really   ends up selling out Ukraine   to the Western Allies,   which basically brings   Ukraine   or the borders of the UN if you like   closer to Russia.  

Because, you know, this this doesn't seem to be any end to this nonsense.   And, you know, Ukraine's gonna have to pay for this war   in some way, shape, or form.   And it will be in in the form of, you know, rather like   Lendlease   during World War two,   whereby   we'd we'd really needed   the Americans to come in because   the Germans were doing such a good job and we couldn't combat them on our own.   So the Americans were brought in   on the basis of lend lease   initially because   the Americans didn't want to be seen as   participating   in World War two. Don't forget Roosevelt   won his election on the basis that he wasn't going to send American boys   into another European war.  

Well, what happened?   Partway into his presidency,   he decided he would,   bail out Britain with war material   and, you know, so much war material. Instead   of instead of sending war material to places like Singapore, what did Britain do? It sent it to Russia.   So it's quite obvious that   really,   to me, it's quite obvious   that there was one purse string   one purse string, one   budget   funding the whole thing from one side. And I and let's not forget also   that   when   when there were 30 something political parties   rallying for power in Germany   during the nineteen thirties,   '1 particular party   the National Socialist Party   ended up being funded   by   the two richest Zionist bankers in Berlin.  

The brown shirts   of the of the Nazi party, if you want to call them the Nazi party,   were funded.   The the money was funded   by the two richest Zionist bankers in Berlin who were   not allowed to stand trial   even though   Chief Justice Jackson during the Nuremberg trials wanted these people to stand trial for funding the war effort in the first place and funding the, these people into power in the first place. They weren't allowed to stand trial, they were let off.   Somebody told me once that it was British freemasonry that allowed them to   that that put a word in the right ear so they wouldn't have to stand trial.  

So again, you've got,   you know,   bankers   bankers   funding   both sides   of the war. Now, there's a little excerpt I'm gonna read now of my granddad's   book, if I can find it. I've put it down somewhere. There it is.   It's never far away. It's never far away. So   the author of this book   was a regular soldier who served with distinction   in the South African War and in the First World War. So, I'm just gonna say Battle of Magus Fontaine   and Battle of the Somme.   So he'd seen some stuff,   When he retired from the army due to due to wounds received or active service he settled down in an English country village and began to study politics and economics and he wanted to know   why honest Tommy Atkins had been compelled to fight the peaceful Boer farmers and enable an international   diamond syndicate   to gain control of the South African mines.  

Why 10,000,000 people men should have been slaughtered   in the First World War   described as the war to end all wars   when the subsequent peace treaty, the Treaty of Versailles,   so obviously sowed the seeds for the second and more terrible conflict.   So why   why would the two richest Zionist bankers in Berlin   want to fund   the Nazi party into existence knowing full well   what they what the what was on the cards, I. E. The expansion east.   And it was easy to make opposition to that, wasn't it? You know?   Bearing in mind that we we had no track with the Soviet Union.   Why the banks of the and this is the most important bit. Why the banks of the world create money lavishly   out of nothing   to finance these wars and yet for peace   credit is immediately   restricted.  

Why when the second world war came   to defend the rights of small nations, remember what I said about Poland? Oh, the Polish guarantee, what happened to Poland after the war?   Why when the second world war came to defend the rights of small nations these small nations were sold by their allies into a slavery   worse than death.   So,   we're we're about to conclude. There's less than five minutes left.   I just I I personally think, you know, I'm I am all for the troops.   I'm all for the troops on all sides   because they know not what they do and they know not why they're doing it. I mean,   listeners as old as me will remember   there was a song by the levelers back in the nineties called Another Man's Cause.  

And the chorus is your daddy while he died in The Falklands   fighting for   another man's cause and your brother he was killed in the last war   and your mother now she's lying home alone.   Another man's cause, whose cause is that?   And you know it's an interesting thought.   If we were set to war today   here in The UK,   who would sign up? Who would sign up?   Because   although it's been bounded about in previous years, in previous decades, oh we're a nation of immigrants,   Never a truer word spoken today.   We are a nation of immigrants. Who's gonna have any truck   with any wars that the British want to get involved in or the British establishment want to get involved in?  

Particularly when defense budgets are being cut   left, right, and center.   You know, we got a few boats knocking about, couple of aircraft carriers which aren't actually gonna do it. They're not serviceable   nowadays.   So   if we fought World War   two   for the freedom of nations   and looking at the country we live in now, I would say we are far from free. In fact,   I would say   we've been gagged   and told to shut up.   Most of us. There are very few of us speaking out.   So,   yeah, to conclude,   victory in Europe Day?   Whose victory was it?   And   how's it playing out for us all now?  

I,   yeah.   Anyway, look,   I don't wanna leave it on a bad note.   It's you know, we we gotta work with what we've got.   And, really,   the the best thing all of us can do now   is   be honest with ourselves and be honest with the people around us and just   do your   due diligence   and look into both sides of history, not just the narrative that you're fed.   And in that way,   you really will honor the fallen   because I'm sure the fallen are up there now going, oh my me.   What the hell just happened?   Anyway, look. Lots of love folks.   You've been listening to the Shelley Tasker Show. I am mister Scott, Malefika Scott standing in for Shelley.  

I'm gonna play you out with this one.   It's one of my own tunes and I didn't actually expect to play it, but I just thought it was pertinent at the time. So here  

[01:58:59] Unknown:

you go.  

[02:01:43] Unknown:

Before.  

[02:02:07] Unknown:

What has become   of the voices   from your