Invasion precautions

 

After the Fall of France in June 1940, Britain faced Germany alone and expected an invasion to follow on swiftly. Preparations to meet this invasion were already well underway. Air Raid Precautions (ARP) had begun in 1938 and 100,000 air raid wardens and 60,000 auxiliary firemen had been recruited. Once war broke out a total blackout was imposed but road deaths doubled as cars without headlights ran people down. After 4000 people had been killed, a speed limit of 30 kph was introduced (but people had to guess their speed since dashboard lights were not to be used!)

 

German landing craft were expected at any time so areas within a 16-kilometre radius of the south and east coasts became security zones. Only people with permits could enter these zones and the beaches were wrapped in barbed wire. By 1 June, 5 million had been recruited into the Home Guard, consisting of those men between 17 and 65 not conscripted (conscription covered all fit males between the ages of 18 and 41).

 

Open fields were likely to be used as landing strips for German gliders so they were scattered with anti-glider obstacles - often derelict lorries, buses and even bedsteads! All signposts were removed along with street names - these might assist invading troops. Motorists were fined if they failed to immobilise their cars by removing a part of the car's electrics when they parked. These could have been used by German paratroops as transport (though it is hard to believe that they would also have carried with them the right ignition keys!)

 

The ringing of church bells was banned as this was to be the signal that the invasion had begun. Around 70,000 Germans, Austrians and later Italians (after Italy's declaration of war in June 1940) were arrested and interned in camps - mostly on the Isle of Man. Most of the Germans and Austrians arrested were, in fact, Jewish refugees - unlikely allies of the Nazis. Suspected spies and traitors were thought to be everywhere and poster campaigns urged people not to discuss anything that might be of use to the enemy: 'Careless talk costs lives'.

 

Neil Demarco: The era of the Second World War; Oxford University Press, 1993/2000, page 58