Why the Secrecy? Three reasons

Photographs . Witnesses to Events at Shingle Street . Letters

 

1. Political cover-up.
After Dunkirk, the German High Command were convinced that we had been defeated and would accept their peace agreement.
This was rejected by Winston Churchill in spite of many members of the cabinet who were prepared to surrender this country in return for safe passage for them and their families to other parts of the empire; Australia, Canada, New Zealand to name but three.
Winston Churchill knew of this disloyalty by several members of his cabinet including Lord Halifax, Stanley Baldwin and Neville Chamberlain- all prepared to Surrender Britain to save themselves.

2. The failed enemy attempt to land at Shingle Street.
News of this could have caused widespread panic at the time. Also, if news of the fiery deaths which had befallen so many of their troops had reached the German High Command, the well being of thousands of British troops being held prisoner in France would have been put in jeopardy.

The British military had been fed dis-information regarding the so-called "Operation Sealion", suggesting that an invasion would take place near Dover or Folkestone.
This was intended to concentrate our remaining military strength to the south.
This ploy had the desired effect. Our air force had been concentrating its efforts on the docks at Calais, Boulogne and Dunkirk- where the enemy had placed a large number of decoy vessels. This plan was also successful in distracting our attention from the troops and munitions assembling at Zeebrugge on the Belgian coast.
This same rouse had worked for us when we planned the second front in Normandy- by using dis-information to draw a mechanised division at Calais away from the intended landing points in Normandy.

3. The monarchy.
Hess, Hitler's deputy had flown to Scotland to meet with his friends, the Duke of Hamilton and the Duke of Kent. The three planned to fly to Switzerland to negotiate a peace agreement through British and foreign dignitaries. As it happened, Hess had been detained as a prisoner which saved his life- the flying boat which had been taking the others crashed on the Isle of Mull.
Hitler later realised he would be forced to fight the war on two fronts which he had desperately been trying to avoid. His plans for "Barbarossa"- the invasion of Russia had to be brought forward to June 1st, 1941.

In my view, the sixty-two year secrecy surrounding these vital events- so important to our freedom, should be dropped. It serves as Winston Churchill's voice from the grave to protect the traitors among his cabinet ministers.
In his words, the Shingle Street invasion was a "non event"- the same statement which Hitler used to protect the morale of his victorious troops.
The invasion attempt did serve to galvanise Churchill and his defence team to tour the south and east coast within days of these events taking place and he later ordered a number of additional fortifications including:

• All river inlets and bridges to be mined.
  
• Naval guns were sighted along vulnerable coastal areas.
  
• Tank traps were installed.
  
• Wire beach defences were strengthened.
  
• More defensive "pill boxes" were built at road junctions.

Why all this in response to the alleged "non event"?
You may have to wait until 2021 to find out.

Ronald Ashford