Code Name Pauline: Memoirs of a World War II Special Agent

Code Name Pauline: Memoirs of a World War II Special Agent — page 9
xx INTRODUCTION vowed themselves to the task of cleansing Europe from the Nazi pestilence and saving the world from the new Dark Ages Do not imagine as the German-controlled wireless tells you that we English seek to take your ships and colonies We seek to beat the life and soul out of Hit ler and Hitlerism that alone that all the time that to the end Good night then sleep to gather strength for the morning For the morning will come Brightly will it shine on the brave and true kindly upon all who suffer for the cause glorious upon the tombs of heroes Thus will shine the dawn Vive la France It was necessary for the British prime minster to remind the French of their countries mutual ties a few months ear lier beginning on May 26 1940 the British Expeditionary Force BEF trained British soldiers who had come to assist France against the German invasion during the Battle of France evacuated for Great Britain via the shores of Dunkirk leaving France to fight Germany alone Although the BEF much smaller than the French army had been overwhelmed by the Germans many French people felt betrayed by Operation Dynamo the British evacuation from Dunkirk They felt even more betrayed when shortly after the French had surrendered to the Germans on June 22 1940 the British sunk a powerful fleet of French ships near Algeria after the French navy refused to surrender them killing more than 1,000 sailors in the process in order to prevent Germany from using the ships to invade Britain France and Britain had been allies if somewhat mistrustful ones during World War I and had simultaneously declared war on Germany when the Nazis had invaded Poland on September