Dunkirk 1940: Hitler's early wartime mistake that led to Germany's defeat in 1945.

 

The Dunkirk evacuation was a PR disaster for the Allies - 

and turned into a PR splash by the Allies - so who won the PR battle?

The Battle for Dunkirk had winners and losers - ironically both sides won and lost in their own way - so how did this military action end up costing Adolf Hitler's 3rd Reich final victory in 1945?

In 1939, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain declared war on Germany after their invasion of Poland on September 3rd. 

A magnanimous action by Chamberlain, but the reality was that Britain then could not actively invade Poland from across the North Sea or sustain a military campaign on Polish lands in that location, due to logistical equipment supply and distance problems. 

Perhaps this is why Adolf Hitler invaded Poland, banking on the premise that Britain would not respond militarily or be able to wage an effective military campaign there.

The spread of German forces against the British and their Allies in France, 1940

In 1940, when Hitler invaded Norway, the British did mount a military campaign but it was sadly doomed to failure due to the difficulties of supply and the fact that the German forces had been able to move through the neutral Sweden, to Norway in number.

Hitler's foreign territory acquisition had started in 1938 with his own country of birth - Austria for one simple reason - that it contained a massive iron ore deposit - which he would need for building the war machinery of the new reich.

The rapid conquering of Belgium, France and Holland in 1940 by the third reich forces was achieved at great speed and for a single purpose. Hitler had plans to invade the Soviet Union and needed more soldiers than he currently possessed in Germany. 

Hitler had seen how Finland with a relatively small army had held off the Soviet Armed Forces - for a few simple reasons, Finland was on home ground and the purges of the intelligentsia and Officer classes by Stalin in 1930's Russia had left the Armed Forces at a great disadvantage.

Erwin Rommel (pictured) along with Heinz Guderian were skilled commanders -

Here Rommel takes the surrender of the Dunkirk BEF troops who were left behind

Hitler's land war attack across Western Europe was made possible because all the countries were joined on one land mass. Thus the German advance moved quickly because it could be resupplied with ease.

Britain had sent an expeditionary force the 'BEF' or British Expeditionary Force to the Western European countries to counter Hitler's forces in France and Belgium. However, they were at a number of disadvantages, firstly the BEF was using much old fashioned equipment, primitive when compared to the modern German equipment. The RAF Spitfires and Hurricanes were withdrawn back to England when it was obvious that the Germans could not be contained or repelled.

Secondly, Germany had a large professional army that had been exposed to combat since the Spanish civil war of 1936, it had equipped in the later 1930's with new and cutting edge military hardware. 

Modern German tanks like this Panzer AUSF were very effective - 

This one is being examined after being captured in the North African desert in 1942

Thirdly, the German supply chain was very efficient and Britain was fighting away from its mainland supply chain and fourth, a lot of the countries that the Germans overran where badly equipped and with obsolete equipment that was no match for the modern German hardware and the German's modern military battle planning.

With many refugees hindering progress on the roads in France, the British and their Allies had their progress compromised. The speed of the German advance and the quality and numbers of tanks, vehicles and troops could not be repelled with the poor supply chain of the BEF.

The jackboot on the other foot - 

British troops with a captured 88mm gun, North Africa 1942

This led to the Allies being forced back towards the French coast and into the sea, their only option was to abandon the French continent and regroup in England.

This then became the plan - a mass evacuation of 338,000 troops from France. This was a success but also a disaster in that they had to leave behind them valuable vehicles and heavy equipment. These were commodities that they could ill afford to lose. It could well have been worse.

Hitler's Generals had pushed to allow them to outflank and cut off the Allied retreat before they reached the French coast, which they could have done, but Hitler did not allow that -  he wanted a peace deal with Britain and perhaps believed by allowing the British a retreat, would be able to start negotiations for peace. It might allay claims that although he had invaded Poland when he said he would not, this time he might be keeping his word.

With the recent memory of broken treaties of the late 1930's in mind Winston Churchill adopted a belligerent stance of no surrender. Had Hitler captured those 328,000 Allied troops, he would have held the trump cards. Churchill would have had little to gamble with.

Then, Britain would have lost most of its ready forces in the Western European sector and would have had to have recalled troops from the far East, perhaps calling on Commonwealth countries to supply troops to assemble any hope of a fighting force to continue the war.

When Hitler started his North African campaign aimed at securing the Arabian oil fields for his own supplies, had he held the 328,000 Dunkirk allies as prisoners of war, Churchill might not have been able to commit enough forces to the desert campaign. 

Hitler then would have had his open goal of almost undefended oil supplies to hand. Which he needed for his Soviet campaign and to maintain industrial production in Germany.

Both Churchill and Hitler gambled with their situations in 1940 - Hitler's gamble ultimately cost him a ceasefire with the Allies instead Hitler then pursued his campaign against the Soviet Union and eventual defeat.

Rudolf Hess wrote before WW2 that 'the Soviet Union if not defeated would provide trouble for the West for decades to come' and he was right, in that the Cold War starting as WW2 faded into history would be the next European wide problem.

Churchill had virtually an empty hand with no cards in to gamble with in 1940 but he was favoured by fortune and history was not written differently. But, if America had not entered the war, and Britain had not been able to realise a landing on the French coast in 1944, then it may have been a stalemate with Germany for sometime, perhaps even the Germans may have conquered the Western parts of Russia and history may have had a different outcome?

One thing is for sure that Dunkirk was Hitler's first mistake, the second was invading Russia.

In the Covid era is free speech now dead? Are we facing censorship and control that was predicted would happen?

 

Are we facing a new era of control?

Is free speech now over?

Fake news - like it or not has been a phenomena for years, we tolerate it it and either look at it or discard it out of hand. Maybe we take a more in-depth look at the attestations and then decide if the piece is right or wrong.

The Covid crisis has ushered in a seemingly new situation, one that seems to have been warned about by George Orwell. 

Free speech seems to be going out of fashion and by that I mean speech that does not coincide with what the mainstream media broadcasts. 

Agenda seems to be fashioned by the minority these days, the woke voice is loud for such a small representation of the population and indulged by left wing media outlets. So what happened to balance and challenge?

Why is the so-called scare science of the climate lobby rarely challenged or a call for science to back up their claims? I mean real science, not unchecked cod science.

A free society allows free speech, like it or not, if someone has an opinion they can say it or should be allowed to. Even if it is not what I want to hear, everyone should within reason be allowed to give an opinion and explain why.

We can't do that anymore, thanks to various lobby groups who shut down anything that they can't accept. A lot of these types were never said no to as children, they think everything is on a plate and their opinion matters, sorry but when you are barely out of schooling take note of those who have been on this planet a few decades longer than you.

Have your say, but listen to people who were young like you once. 

Even moderate channels like Yahoo have now (temporarily they say) suspended people commenting on posts, did we fight world wars to have our liberty lost in the ability to speak our minds? 

Perhaps with so many comments on Yahoo not agreeing with the stories and perhaps telling it how it really is, that the media as such realises it has lost control. People  thinking for themselves perhaps they consider as dangerous? 

David Icke may be a controversial figure to some, but he like others who have a following are now finding their social media accounts deleted. When in time people's content from the past is seen as them being proved right today, but is now lost because of 'policy' then we are in a state where people start to ring the conspiracy bell.

The way it is playing out is that we may be looking at a situation where citizens are having less say. Brexit was one such situation, with much scaremongering being done by the media that we although the sky would fallen and that sort of thing when we left the EU, when we did leave nothing changed. 

Over Brexit, hasbeen celebs and politicians urged us to think again,  vote again and the biggest insult 'we didn't know what we were voting for' trotted out n some sort of desperate effort to keep us in the EU, well, sorry but people did know what they voted for and in the last election reinforced that view in greater numbers.

It will be a sad day for everyone if our mechanisms for having a public opinion are dashed because it doesn't fit someone else's agenda.  

Marriage Watches explained - Repurposed Retro Chic Swiss origin watches that won't break the bank!

 

Think big - wear big - Marriage watches offer great style at an affordable price

So, what are 'Marriage Watches'? Probably one of the best kept secrets in watches!

How many times have you picked up a pocket watch at a collector's fair and liked the attractive dial but wished it was a wristwatch? Well, you are not alone. And there is a solution..

In the early 2000's, an industry started in Eastern Europe in the conversion of old pocket watches to wrist watches, a clever concept called 'Marriage Watches.' You basically take a pocket watch moment and in some cases the dial and case and either solder on new watch strap lugs, rotate the face 90 degrees and you have a large wristwatch. Great idea.

Often, these watches have 43mm+ diameter watch crystals, giving you that easy to read 'big watch' look dials but are not in most cases, 'heavy' to wear on the wrist. 

Cases are typically around 45mm+ and up to 60mm+ in the largest 'clocks' but typically I have found around 45-50mm diameter excluding the crown. Typically a 22mm wide strap is used which looks right for the case size.

These Marriage Watches have hand wound movements, but don't forget that even some very exclusive modern and expensive big name exclusive Swiss mechanical watch movements are hand wound, not all are automatic watches as you may think.

Molinja - one of the favoured bases for Marriage watch conversions

The Soviet Union produced many quality watches for Military and Transport use, even producing pocket watches into the late 1980s and beyond, the Molnija factory (meaning 'lightning' in Russian) produced this style really until the end of the Soviet state and beyond. It like other makes such as Raketa, Pobeda, Zim and others kept people in jobs in the Communist era even though Quartz watches took over the Western market and killed the Swiss mechanical market for everyday watches.

A Rolex enhanced 3602 movement improved by Molnija

Often based on Swiss movements like the Rolex 624, meant that the hard work of development was already mostly done, making for quality and accurate movements. 

A lovely retro style Molnija dial Marriage Watch with Gothic style numerals

The Soviet era produced some great retro looking dials too, whether based on Gothic numerals, block markers or unusual combinations of numerals and block markers in the bauhaus style of form and function. Perhaps the Soviet Union being behind the West in some ways created what we now call 'Retro' looking pieces.

Repurposed Swiss Longines watch from the 1920's

The availability of pocket watches in great numbers and the relative scarcity of their wristwatch equivalent counterparts in the Swiss makes for example market, created an obvious avenue for a new market. 

A Swiss Longines converted Marriage Watch might be sat £200 or $275 USD, against say £1300 or $1600 USD for an original vintage wristwatch version. Plus,the Marriage Watch is easier to read, the originals often having smaller dials.

An Omega repurposed is an obviously striking time piece

Obviously, with a Swiss name and a large dial on your wrist, there is an obvious 'wow' factor going on. However, the mysteriousness of a Russian Cyrillic name on the dial also invokes curiosity and the in many cases retro look and unknown watch face also starts conversations.

Roman Miller -  A Soviet Molnija based piece comparable to a 1920's Jaeger  -

fashioned from a batch of unused Molnija 'Rolex' origin movements

Whilst a converted Yuri Gagarin picture dial watch has its own appeal as a bit of fun, there is the old adage of you get what you pay for and for me, these Molnija Marriage Watches tick many boxes - they don't break the bank, are stylish, reliable and interesting - many are unique and one off dial designs too. The Retro appeal is there too, whether as a 1920's style or a Bauhaus looking piece.

There is always going to be that snobbery in watch collecting as in many other collecting fields, your repurposed Omega may be frowned upon by some, but at least conversion saves many from being left in drawers or worse, broken for the scrap value of the silver cases and the moan of ' no one wants pocket watches'.

From a collecting point of view, I think the Soviet ones have their following and are appreciated for what they are, stylish, fun and reliable. Under the glass you may often be getting a Swiss origin watch movement too. 

For Swiss movements like the Omega and Longines, it allows you to own one for a reasonable price that is often a unique creation if the dial has been created specially.

So should you buy? For the price and the style, I would say yes, plus the fact that they are at this time not expensive to buy.

Molnija Russian Marriage watch review - with Swiss watch movements makes these great to collect

 

                                         Marriage Watches offer a lot of watch for your money - 

      and have plenty of interesting 'retro style' too like this Molnija aviator style watch

I had not seen Molnija watches before and although many watch fanciers might gravitate to the big names such as Longines, Rolex and other big price ticket watches, Molnija and other similar oversize watches are starting to gather something of a following, often based on 1950's and later watches which have been rebuilt and repurposed often from pocket watches. 

The marriage watch concept was again something I had not discovered, so what do they offer the collector or someone looking for a unique watch at a reasonable price?

                 Classic styling and large easy to read faces make these great to wear

Despite their larger case size of 43mm +, they are in many cases not 'heavy' in weight

So, what is a marriage watch? in this case, it often became in recent times an unfashionable and inexpensive (due to lack of desirability) pocket watch upgrade. The movement was sometimes just given external lugs take a watch strap or was re-cased and sometimes given a new dial and turned into a wristwatch.

Lets face it, a pocket watch is not the most practical of timepieces these days, but there are literally shedloads of great looking, quality movement pocket watches about, with many Russian made ones often based on Swiss movements that really offer great value for money. Other watch makes such as Glashutte, Omega and Longines often get converted too - are they worth buying? Lets take a look.

With Swiss movement origins, these watches offer great value

Molnija means 'Lightning' in Russian and their factory survived until the early 2000's having a long history of making high quality watches for the Soviet Military forces and Railways. 

These watches often have nice quality movements with some of their movements based on the Swiss movements of the past, like the Rolex 624, which Molnija improved to an 18 Jewels type as used in the Roman Miller marriage watch, a batch of these 18 Jewel movements was discovered unused in the factory when it closed and used in the Roman Miller brand watch akin to a Jaeger Le Coultre, Longines or Omega style watch from the 1920's.

A particularly attractive 'Gothic' style of face Molnija, 

with Acrylic glass back panel on the rear showing the movement

A Molnija Swiss origin movement

The typical case size of these Molnija marriage watches have a crystal size of around 43mm with a case size of 45-48mm typically. Some are larger, depending on the case size used, some of the Railway style watches have larger cases of around 50mm or larger. Saying that, they are not heavy on the wrist.

On the wrist, the watch is impressive -

without being 'too large' for most wearers -

the strap was swapped from a NATO one to a conventional one

There are a whole range of very interesting looking marriage watches on the market based on other Russian movements, from Luch, Roman Miller, Sturmanskie, Zim and others which look really classic and unusual in design. These are nice quality movements if a bit plain, but look workmanlike and do keep good time.

A large size CYMA Swiss Watch with a case of around 53mm across without lugs!

These type of watches are certainly eye catching, not only because of their size but also their retro design style. They are hand wound mechanisms but don't be alarmed,many of the nice modern Swiss watches are not automatic movements but are hand wound. 

                         

                                               CYMA Swiss Watch movement detail

When quartz movements became widespread in the 1970's it helped to kill off the large scale Swiss mechanical watch market. Which is when Soviet and Chinese factories bought the tooling and the rest is history. 

The Soviet watch market continued on with making mechanical watches long after the Cold War finished, winding a watch was cheaper than finding and fitting batteries. Plus it kept people in work. 

The 'old school' look of the Soviet era timepieces often based on the bauhaus ethic of simplicity of function and form in the design, kept these watches looking of a certain time and that has in retrospect been a great selling point for them now.

Even within the Molnija range there are variations in dial design - 

this blue dial one has the CCCP logo whereas the other one shown above, does not.

Prices vary on the market, some Molnija watches are not high priced and start at around £89 or $100USD, its a case of see what is out there for sale and there is often a good deal to be had. There are some nice watches for less than £200 or $250 USD to be found.

They won't break the bank, look good and are reliable timekeepers, what is not to like? 

A nice 1920's Longines re-cased and repurposed as a marriage watch -

for around £200 as opposed to around £1200+ for a new, 'stock' Longines watch.

Fancy going upmarket to a Swiss marriage watch? Then why not try a Longines or similar brand marriage watch? At the prices they are offered at they are often way under what you would pay for a 'conventional' wristwatch from the same maker, plus you often get unique dial designs and in many cases original dials from around a hundred years ago.

A superb Longines from 1914 repurposed into a nice marriage watch

In conclusion:

In my view, marriage watches in general offer great value for money, they look good and are a lot of fun. I find the Russian made ones from Molnija and similar are attractive and individual. They are presently inexpensive and look different. 

At the other end of the scale, a repurposed Swiss make like a Longines offers the same great experience but with a higher price tag, which does go in its favour for resale value. But it is still an affordable product from the Swiss watch world if you really want a great watch with the Swiss origin.

That said, I still rate the Russian Marriage watches as great value and worth collecting for their own merit. Besides their good reliability and timekeeping - bear in mind their military and transport origins with demanded this. Plus, whilst quartz watches keep best time, they need batteries.

Why not try one? 

And these Marriage watch products also benefit helping watch creators in Russia to reach Western markets to create jobs and new customers and start successful small businesses too which helps their economy. Plus a lot of old pocket watches are getting new lives rather than just being broken for their silver cases.