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• Title: Fortress Newfoundland: How the Fear of Nazi Attack Turned Newfoundland Into an Armed Camp During World War II (RESEARCH NOTES)
• Author : Newfoundland and Labrador Studies
• Release Date : January 22, 2011
• Genre: Reference,Books,
• Pages : * pages
• Size : 401 KB

Description

ONE OF THE MORE popular local myths to come out of World War II was that the Germans planned to attack and possibly occupy parts of Newfoundland. This paper seeks to demonstrate, through published and archival evidence, that the threat of a German attack did have substance and was seen by the civilian and military authorities as being a real and imminent danger. The Dominion was strategically located at the crossroads to North America and would have offered the Nazis a target-rich environment had they actually struck. It boasted two naval bases, five military and civilian aerodromes, two seaplane bases, five army bases, and a variety of civilian assets important to the Allied war effort. Some anecdotal evidence even suggests that Hitler, at least briefly, considered an assault on Newfoundland as part of a larger campaign against the United States. (1) The Germans never did attack Newfoundland in a concerted manner, yet the mere possibility forced the Allies to turn the country into an island fortress. When it entered the war as part of the British Empire, Newfoundland was totally defenceless. The country had always relied on the protection of the Royal Navy (RN) and again looked to Britain for security. The Admiralty, however, felt that the threat to Newfoundland was slight and, as during the Great War, promised to come to the rescue when and if danger actually materialized. (2) As a retired Royal Navy Vice Admiral, Newfoundland's Governor Sir Humphrey Walwyn probably recognized the hollowness of these assurances and, deeply concerned about the vulnerability of shipping in St. John's harbour, requested keeping the four-inch gun off the damaged ss King Edward, which was being repaired at the Newfoundland Dockyard. (3) In any event, the Newfoundland Commission of Government could take its own measures, and these were immediately initiated. The British Overseas Defence Committee had formulated a Newfoundland Defence Scheme in 1936 that dictated steps to be taken at each stage up to and including the outbreak of war: The Peace Stage speaks for itself; the Precautionary Stage was defined as when relations with another power were so strained as to take precautions against hostilities; and the War Stage outlined planning for when war had actually broken out. The scheme set out when and how various warning telegrams would be sent and what actions should be taken upon receipt. Among the immediate measures to be implemented were the seizure of all ships belonging to the enemy, the detention of all British and neutral ships loaded with contraband believed to be destined for the enemy, and, finally, the prevention from clearing port of any British ships headed for an enemy destination. (4) As St. John's and many of Newfoundland's ports were international in nature, these instructions had significant repercussions. Much of the iron ore mined at Wabana, Bell Island, and the lead and zinc mined at Buchans were shipped to Germany, and German vessels were constant visitors at Botwood, Lewisporte, and Corner Brook. (5) Captain C.M.R. Schwerdt, RN, Walwyn's private secretary, was appointed Naval Officer in Charge (NOIC) and immediately established a Naval Control Service office and set about implementing the Newfoundland Defence Scheme. (6) One of his first actions as NOIC was to order the seizure of the Christoph yon Doornun at Botwood and the internment of her crew. (7)

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