Ici Londres!

1^st June 1944 – hundreds of ‘personal messages’, conveying coded instructions, are sent by Radio Londres, the BBC radio broadcast from London to Nazi occupied France.  These transmissions, operated by the Free French Forces always began with “Ici Londres! Les Français parlent aux Français.*” This time Beethoven’s 5^th Symphony was also played, the first four notes corresponding to dot-dot-dot-dash – a morse ‘V’ for Victory.  The French Resistance now knew the invasion would be very soon. On 5^th June a recitation from the first verse of  Verlaine’s poem ‘Chanson d’Automne’ let them know it would be in the next 48 hours:  “Les sanglots longs des violons de l’automne blessent mon coeur d’une langeur monotone****” was the call to action. (See Ici Londres.)

*"Here's London! The French speaking to the French."

**’The long sobs of Autumn’s violins wound my heart with a monotonous languour'

 

1st June 1944 - Japanese forces in China begin their advance south from Wuchang in Hupeh to Changsa in Hunan, to attack the US air bases at Kweilin.  (From ‘The Second World War’ by Antony Beevor, published by Weidenfield and Nicolson 2012)