Â鶹ԼÅÄ

1940: Nazi propagandist Lord Haw-Haw mocks Churchill

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In this extract from Nazi propaganda, Haw-Haw mocks Churchill's tribute to HMS Cossack, the British ship that rescued prisoners from a German vessel called the Altmark. Four Germans were killed in the skirmish. Both ships were inside Norwegian waters, a neutral zone.

This propaganda was broadcast by Haw-Haw on Nazi radio. It was received, recorded and transcribed by Â鶹ԼÅÄ Monitoring.

The Altmark was a supply ship for the Graf Spee. Captain Vian of HMS Cossack was instructed by the First Lord of the Admiralty, Winston Churchill, to persuade the Norwegians to escort the Altmark back to port for inspection. However, the Norwegian vessels could not break through the ice and probably did not want to aggravate German forces. Consequently, the Cossack carried out the mission alone, incurring damage during a collision.

A boarding party from the Cossack secured control of the Altmark and released 299 captives. Both countries had infringed Norway's neutrality.

Â鶹ԼÅÄ Archive: Originally broadcast 18 February 1940.

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