Invasion Scares: From the Spanish Armada to Adolf Hitler Flashcards
Invasion Scares: Overview
- England Under Siege
- Invasion Literature
- The Battle of Brockville
- The Battle of Los Angeles
England Under Siege
The Spanish Armada (1588) Napoleon Bonaparte (1800s) Operation Sealion (1940)
3 Factors:
( 1 ) Preparation
( 2 ) Trust
( 3 ) ?
British Invasions: Background Information
IDENTIFICATION
- Britain has only been invaded 4 times throughout history (Roman, Germainic tribes, vikings, then by the Normans)
- The invasion by the Normans created modern England
- There have been many attempts, but only 4 successful
- England’s great defense has always been water (the English channel)
- In order to invade England, you had to cross 20 miles of water and land on an unfriendly beach
SIGNIFICANCE
3 Attempts at Invading Britain
( 1 ) The Spanish Armada (1588)
( 2 ) Napoleon Bonaparte (1800s)
( 3 ) Operation Sealion (1940)
The Spanish Armada (1588)
IDENTIFICATION
- At attempt at invading Britain
- Recall: the English were paranoid that the Catholics wanted to take over England (their paranoia/fear was real, but their conspiracies about how it was going to be done from inside, by the enemies within, were bogus)
- The great Catholic powers of Europe had no intention of invading England underhand, but rather, through invasion
- And Phillip II, the King of Spain, wants to invade England
- The Pope agrees to support this invasion (spiritually and financially)
- When it succeeds, he will allow Phillip to choose the next Catholic King of England
Spanish and their allies put together a massive army
- Part of that army - the Armada - set sail from Portugal, through the English channel
- They were supposed to meet a massive army (30 000) in the Netherlands, led by the Duke of Parma
- This invasion came to nothing
- There was a massive hostile army a few miles away baring down on England, which was just a few miles away from them
- But there was no panic in England
SIGNIFICANCE
England was on the brink of invasion, but there was virtually no panic in England
Napoleon Bonaparte (1800s)
IDENTIFICATION
- France and Britain had been at war for a few hundred years
- They arranged a truce, but Napoleon had no intention of abiding by the truce after it was over
- He planned to take over any country in his way of taking over Europe
- During this truce, Napoleon prepared an army of 200 000 soldiers (who fought during the Revolution) to invade and crush England after the truce
- In order to fund this invasion, he sold North America (the Louisiana purchase), every penny of which went toward invading England
SIGNIFICANCE
England was on the brink of invasion, but there was virtually no panic in England
Operation Sealion (1940)
IDENTIFICATION
- Nazi Germany had began WWII in 1939, and had taken over various countries in Europe, and it was poised on the edge of the English channel
- The Nazi objective
Army of 160 000, that had very quickly dispensed all of the other countries around England, was sitting on the edge of Europe (the French coast), and Hitler was preparing a massive fleet to take over England
- Had the German troops crossed the channel and invaded England, there is a debate about whether they would have succeeded or not
- But they never got the chance to try
- It was not sea power, but air power
- Their invasion could not go ahead until Germany had control of the air forces over Britain (everything was on hold until Germany commanded the British skies)
- This led to daily air raids and targets bombing England
- But this invading army was not able to achieve the right circumstances (the German air forces were unable to take over the British air forces)
- October 1940: Operation Sealion was called off
SIGNIFICANCE
England was on the brink of invasion, but there was virtually no panic in England.
The English had every right to hysterically panic, but they did not.
This is the third of three times when England was at risk of invasion from a much stronger foreign power (potentially hours from an invasion), and yet, there was no panic.
( 1 ) The Spanish Armada (1588)
( 2 ) Napoleon Bonaparte (1800s)
( 3 ) Operation Sealion (1940)
No panic - but why?
IDENTIFICATION
- There are 2 reasons that are common to all 3 of these episodes that explain why there was no panic
SIGNIFICANCE
( 1 ) PREPARATION
In each case, although the enemy was so close, there was no surprise, so England had a lot of time to prepare for invasion
Example 1: During the Napolean era, the English expected (every day) for the French to invade and prepared the coasts (e.g., the Royal Military Canal, Martello Towers). Every day, the English feel a little more confident, so as time passes, and invasion feels like less of a threat.
Rather than panic and worry, the British made fun of the French (and this calmed the public)
Example 2: During WWII, England prepared with Pill Boxes and Ditches, and removed anything that would be useful for invaders along the Coast (e.g., gas pumps). People of age were encouraged to volunteer, and men who were too old were encouraged to join Local Defense Guards (Home Guard, Dad’s Army). ½ a Million people in England are ready to defend against German invasion.
There is some concern, a bit of irrational thought and panic, but no hysteria. In the media, we see the message that the English hope the Germans do come, so they can get their asses whooped.
So begins the phrase: “Keep Calm and Carry On.”
( 2 ) TRUST (in leadership)
Trust is fragile; it can disappear very easily. BUT, in each of these three contexts, Britain has faith in their leaders (for good reason).
Spanish Armada: Queen Elizabeth I (she delivered a speech to the troops with great flourish, at the top of a hill, riding a white horse and dressed in white velvet). The soldiers were inspired with such utter confidence, and news of the speech spread remarkably fast.
Operation Sealion: Winston Churchill (knew that the confidence of the British had been shaken by German successes, and that Britain was next, so Churchill releases a speech over the radio: “we shall never surrender”). Churchill was able to project such a feeling of complete confidence that any sense of panic felt misplaced, and this had a huge effect on calming British nerves.
The Invasion Literature Genre
IDENTIFICATION
- Fictional stories about invasions of England presented as non-fiction.
- Fictional literature presented as non-fiction
- Note: this genre exists almost everywhere (although we have studied it from a British perspective)
Examples: The Battle of Dorking (Chesney) “The Invasion of 1910”: Spies of the Kaiser (Le Queux): “An Englishman’s Home”
SIGNIFICANCE
- The commonality amongst these pieces of literature is the belief that the country is under attack
- One of the reasons for the rapid spread of these works is advancement in technology in Britain for spreading News (1860s/70s)
- Likewise, printing technology drastically improves (the beginnings of mass press and mass literature)
- People are able to read more news and recent news than ever before
- But people are also able to read more false news than ever before
The Battle of Dorking (Chesney)
IDENTIFICATION
- A piece of Invasion Literature in England published in 1870
- Fictional stories about invasions of England presented as non-fiction (i.e., fictional literature presented as non-fiction)
About an old English soldier reminiscing to his grandson about when Germany invaded London because the soldiers failed to protect a certain part of land.
This was immediately a huge best seller, translated to various languages. It inspired other literature and news stories about invasions of England. The genre was so well-entrenched, it produced spoofs.
It came out at a perfect time: in 1870, France and Germany had gone to war, and Germany had defeated France, so England feared that they were next.
Chesney’s intention was to persuade the government to spend more on defense (he wanted to promote his political lawview, but instead promoted paranoia).
SIGNIFICANCE
- Chesney’s book creates panic: a very specific panic about this particular invasion
- People took the threat so literally the owners of the invaded land in the book put up a defence
- Fictional literature presented as non-fiction
- The popularity of the genre continues…
- The Great War in England (Le Queux)
- The Riddle of the Sands (Childers):
- “The Invasion of 1910” (presented as a News account, that introduces a new wrinkle to the invasion literature genre, because it writes about spies living in England …)
Spies of the Kaiser (Le Queux)
IDENTIFICATION
- A piece of Invasion Literature in England from the late 1800s/early 1900s (the popularity of which began with Chesney’s The Battle of Dorking)
- Fictional stories about invasions of England presented as non-fiction (i.e., fictional literature presented as non-fiction)
- The German spy is who you least expect it to be
- The public response is so dramatic that the government is forced to act
SIGNIFICANCE
- The government creates a subcommittee to investigate German espionage in Britain
- The subcommittee finds the greatest “experts” to report on espionage…they go to Le Queux
- He warns to watch out for:
People who look German, looking at things
- People who sound German, talking to each other
- Houses that seem to have a succession of German people living in them
- This results on conspiracy and creates the Special Service Burrow (MI6)
- The British Spy Network was born in this era, spawned by this series of novels
This continues until before WWI
“An Englishman’s Home” (1909)
IDENTIFICATION
- English Invasion Literature
SIGNIFICANCE
- So powerful and successful for instilling fear and panic about German invasions, that the army sets up booths in the theatre for people to sign up for the military after watching the play/film
The Battle of Brockville (1915)
IDENTIFICATION
- February 1915: enemy aircraft were spotted over Brockville
- The natural conclusion was that this was an invasion (since we were in the early stages of WWI)
- All of Eastern Ontario went under a blackout, as far as Ottawa
- Canada has 2 more years of these ‘UFO sightings’ before it pans out in 1917 (when the US enters WWI)
SIGNIFICANCE
What do these 2 events have in common? Neither of them occurred. There were no aircraft, no attackers, no gunfire or bombs, but there was swift response from the military.
When a community feals unprepared or vulnerable to a threat, panic and hysteria thrive. But when a community feels confident in their ability and their leader, they are confident and panic is minimal.
The Battle of Los Angeles (1942)
IDENTIFICATION
- February 1942: a Japanese submarine appeared off the edge of Los Angeles coast and fired shots at a gasoline plant (2-3 months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour)
- Then news of Japanese shots fired at the city and bombs dropped over it spread across the state of California
- The next night, the US army reported sighting of lights above the gasoline plant
- The radar picked up an unidentified target in the Pacific Coast, and given the go ahead to fire
- The authorities initiated a blackout, and the public realized something was up
- Reports were released about various eye witness accounts of Japanese aircraft above California
- The American militia began firing shots into the sky and used search lights
- The shots were confused for bombs dropped by Japanese aircrafts
- People become convinced that Pearl Harbour was made possible by American military incompetence
SIGNIFICANCE
What do these 2 events have in common? Neither of them occurred. There were no aircraft, no attackers, no gunfire or bombs, but there was swift response from the military.
A Japanese submarine DID appear off the coast of LA and fire shots at a gasoline plant, but everything else (reported sightings and news) that people were panicked about was false.
When a community feals unprepared or vulnerable to a threat, panic and hysteria thrive. But when a community feels confident in their ability and their leader, they are confident and panic is minimal.
What do the Battle of Brockville (1915) and the Battle of Los Angeles (1942) have in common?
IDENTIFICATION
What do these 2 events have in common? Neither of them occurred. There were no aircraft, no attackers, no gunfire or bombs, but there was swift response from the military.
SIGNIFICANCE
When a community feals unprepared or vulnerable to a threat, panic and hysteria thrive. But when a community feels confident in their ability and their leader, they are confident and panic is minimal.
