After The Battle #141 – The Ob. West HQ At Saint-Germain-en-Laye

Jean Paul Pallud tells how after seven months of ‘Phoney War’, the Wehrmacht launched its attack in the West on May 10, 1940 and within six weeks the Netherlands, Belgium and France had been defeated, as had the British Expeditionary Force. The Armistice with France was signed on June 22 and hostilities ceased threee days later. Of the three army groups that had fought and won the swift campaign, Heeresgruppe A was designated to remain in the West and Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt and his staff soon established themselves at Saint-Germain-en-Laye, just west of Paris. RAF Target Mapping Centre at Hughenden Manor Hughenden Manor, well known as the residence of Victorian politician Benjamin Disraeli, was in the Second World War home of the top – secret RAF target mapping centre known as ‘Hillside’. Employing a motley team of talented mapmakers, it was here, in the quiet scenery of the Chiltern Hills, that all the target maps for Allied bombing missions were produced. The Discovery of HMAS Sydney – On November 19, 1941, the Australian cruiser HMAS Sydney – the pride and fame of the Royal Australian Navy – sank with all hands after a short but sharp naval battle with the German raider Kormoran in the ocean off Westeren Australia. The ship and her entire crew of 645 men seemed to have disappeaRed without trace. It was Australia’s worst naval disaster, which left bereaved families across the nation. Karel Margry tells us the tragic story —- Binders for After The Battle magazines are also available – click to view