Eighty Years Ago This Week

  The first V-2 rocket fell on Chiswick in west London, killing three people. At first the government did not disclose the cause and blamed a gas main explosion. V-2s became nicknamed  "flying gas pipes." The news blackout had less to do with security than political embarassment: the day before Duncan Sandys, the minister responsible, had announced that the V-1 campaign had been defeated by overrunning the launch sites and that London's agony was over. Unlike the V-1 the V-2 had sufficient range to hit Britain from Holland still occupied by Germany and there was no means of destroying them in flight. Sandys could take small comfort from being proved right in believing that the Germans had developed rockets whilst Churchill's adviser, Lord Cherwell, had vehemently insisted that this was a scientific impossibility. The argument had centred on the potential weight of warhead, not on the weapon's range. The second Quebec conference (Octagon) began. It discussed German...

  The Finns had slowed the Red Army's advance into the country significantly, inflicting heavy casualties. The Soviets wanted to focus their sttrength on the drive to Berlin and were open to Finnish peace overtures. They inisted, though, that Finland publicly break with Germany before entering a deal. The Finnish prime minister made a radio broadcast putting the blame on the Germans for the breach as they had failed to send Finland military assitance as promised; he also claimed that many in Germany knew the war was lost. The Soviets agreed to a ceasfire which left the problem of dealing with 100,000 German troops still in the country. With the Red Army at its borders the Germans withdrew entirely from  Bulgaria. The pro-Axis government was replaced by one which declared war on Germany. The Soviet Union was not impressed by its new notional allied and declared war on Bulgaria as a prelude to invasion. The Bulgarian army offered no reistance. The Guards Armoured Divison comman...