ALAAARRMM!! One for @WeHaveWaysPod . This is very, very exciting. I've just received an original Kriegsdagebuch from German minesweeper M1803 (Commandant Kapitänleutnant Witting), covering July 1940 to January 1941. Some of it typed, most of it handwritten ➡️ The entries include the capture and scuttling of RN submarine HMS Shark on 6 July 1943 off Stavanger . Incredibly there's a photo of this incident in the IWM archives ➡️

Writing about ‘the Channel Dash’ today. Scharnhorst, Gneisenau & Prinz Eugen had been holed up in Brest on the French Atlantic coast for months, where they were regularly attacked by the RAF. They couldn’t be sunk though as they were either in dry dock or shallow water ➡️ Kriegsmarine decided to try to get the 3 back to the main Naval base at Kiel for repair; they slipped out of Brest in the early hours of 12/2/42. Bomber Command, sneaky buggers, had heavily mined the area around the Frisian Islands, through which they had to pass ➡️

On 4.3.1941, #OpClaymore was launched against targets in the Lofoten Islands with troops from 3 & 4 Commando. Mission: destroy oil installations & enemy shipping, take German prisoners & Quislings, & recruit Norwegian volunteers #Lofoten41 1/8 Force Rebel comprised HMS Nelson, George V, Bedouin, Eskimo (which had been blown up in the Battle of Narvik but miraculously rebuilt), Legion, Somali, Tartar, submarine HMS Sunfish & transports HMS Princess Beatrix & Queen Emma #Lofoten41 2/8

🧵Friends, I have a treat for you. I’ve been loaned a set of original photos/news clippings which belonged to Eric Kirkland, an RAF Navigator on 254 Sqn Coastal Command. Eric flew on Beaufighters, attacking enemy shipping in the North Sea/Dutch/German coastal areas 1/10 Most (if not all) of these photos were taken by Eric himself. He was based at RAF North Cotes, Lincs. The photos were all taken April/June 43 - significant dates for those of you who’ve read #AboveUsTheStars