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Deal and District at War, 1939-45

By Collyer, David G.

Deal and District at War, 1939-45 book

Deal and District at War, 1939-45

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Description
Much emphasis has been given to the Second World War experiences of East Kent's frontline towns of Dover, Folkestone and Thanet, but the ancient port and town of Deal suffered equally from enemy bombing and shelling, and because of the privations of war on 'Hellfire Corner'. Deal bore the disadvantage of being located opposite the notorious Goodwin Sands where many vessels and even some aircraft were lost. From the time of the Dunkirk evacuation in May/June 1940 until after D-Day some four years later, the residents of Deal withstood all that the enemy threw at them, whilst scores of battle-damaged Allied and Luftwaffe aircraft crash-landed in the open-countryside inland. Bombing and shelling of the town caused much damage and loss of life, and kept civilian emergency services such as the ARF, rescue squads and ambulance crews very busy. In the event of invasion, the troops stationed in and around the town would have been expendable, had the enemy chosen to land at Deal. But some protection lay in the form of the Petroleum Warfare Deparment's lethal 'beach barrage', this being the only stretch of the coastline where the means to create a 'wall of flame' had been installed and fully tested. Illustrated with over 70 black and white photographs, many publihsed here for the first time, Deal and District at War -recounts many unique and controversial events which include: a German coastal raid in Sandwich Bay when at least one British soldier was 'snatched'; an enemy pilot entertained by a local family after being shot down; cases of smuggling and 'services rendered' by Walmer Lifeboat; and the world famous 'Lifeboat Doctor' James Hall
Product details
Number of Pages:
192
Release Date:
1995-11-30
Publication Date:
1995-11-30
Publisher:
Sutton Publishing Ltd
Languages:
Published: English, Original: English
ISBN10:
0750910259
Weight:
706 g
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