The History of WWII Podcast XX
[0] Welcome to True Spies, the podcast that takes you deep inside the greatest secret missions of all time.
[1] Suddenly out of the dark, it's a bit in love.
[2] You'll meet the people who live life undercover.
[3] What do they know?
[4] What are their skills?
[5] And what would you do in their position?
[6] Vengeance felt good seeing these.
[7] People paid for what they'd done, felt righteous.
[8] True Spies, from Spyscape Studios, wherever you get your podcasts.
[9] Hello, and thank you for listening to The History of World War II, Episode 42, Testing Britain's Defenses and Resolve.
[10] aircraft of the Royal Air Force, the Hawker Hurricane.
[11] On August 8, 1940, Fighter Command had 30 squadrons with the Hawker Hurricane 1s, 19 squadrons of the Supermarine Spitfire 1, two squadrons of the two -seat Bolton Paul Defiant Turrent Fighter, and six squadrons of twin -engine Bristol Blemons.
[12] And with the first phase of sea line, Adlertog, about to be launched, there was no time for changes.
[13] Fortunately, advances in the mid -30s in aerodynamics, aeronautical engineering, and power plant development meant major improvements in RAF aircraft performance and combat ability.
[14] These advancements allowed the designers at Supermarine and Hawker to develop fighter aircraft beyond the official specification requests of the Air Ministry.
[15] The Hawker Hurricane design was a little older than the Spitfire's, about six months older.
[16] But because of this, there were a larger number of them built.
[17] By 1940, the hurricane was rugged, easy to fly, and could sustain heavy damage and still bring its pilot home.
[18] This last aspect was proven countless times in the battle.
[19] In essence, it was perfect for dealing with German bomber formations that were being protected by German fighters.
[20] The design of the Hawker Hurricane began in 1934, and a test model first flew in November of 1935.
[21] Besides adding the relatively new design aspects of an enclosed cockpit and retractable undercarriage, it mostly adhered to the traditional construction methods, so could be easily and quickly built in existing factories.
[22] In February of 1936, the prototype Hurricane, but as yet unnamed, was powered by a Rolls -Royce Merlin C engine, capable of producing 990 horsepower.
[23] This prototype, with a Watts fixed -pitch two -bladed wooden propeller, was soon made available to test pilots at the Aircraft and Armament Experimental Establishment of Martlesham Heath to fly and make recommendations for further improvements.
[24] It had a top speed of 315 miles an hour at 16 ,200 feet.
[25] Its service ceiling was 34 ,500 feet, but its absolute ceiling was 900 feet higher.
[26] The Hawker Company stepped back.
[27] assessed the aircraft, and felt they had something good to offer, and with the political climate in early 1936 what it was, planned to be ready for a large -scale production.
[28] This paid off handsomely as the Air Ministry put out Plan F that was to include 600 hurricanes and 300 spitfires.
[29] Still, there were prototype problems that had to be worked out.
[30] The two largest and time -consuming problems dealt with the newer version of the Merlin engine and the cockpit canopy.
[31] However, the first ordered hurricanes flew on October 12, 1937.
[32] Focusing on simplicity and speed, the fabric -covered wings with their eight Browning .303 machine guns, four in each wing, were situated just outside the propeller disc, so no synchronization between the blades and the guns were needed.
[33] Each gun had 300 rounds, and the two batteries of guns were harmonized to converge at 650 yards.
[34] But soon after, that was reduced to 200 yards.
[35] When fully loaded, the Hurricane weighed at 6 ,056 pounds and had a range of 340 miles at 275 miles an hour at 15 ,000 feet.
[36] Of course, all that went out the window when in battle.
[37] Its maximum speed at 15 ,000 feet was 312 miles per hour.
[38] But considering the planned organized defense of Fighter Command, One of the most important aspects was that it only took seven minutes to take off and get to 15 ,000 feet.
[39] That time would be reduced as the pilots learned through experience to alter their routines.
[40] But with war clouds gathering, constant improvements were explored.
[41] A second major version of the hurricane made its first flight on June 11, 1940.
[42] But because it was not given to squadrons until September 4 of that year, it missed the major combat phase.
[43] So the RAF took on the Luftwaffe with the Hurricane I's, but with improvements over the 1938 delivery standard.
[44] Some of these improvements were the armored bulkhead and bulletproof windscreen.
[45] Another major improvement was switching to the Merlin III engine that had a shaft that could use the Rotel or de Havilland three -bladed constant speed propeller.
[46] A major conversion of this type of propeller started on June 24, 1940.
[47] This allowed the pilot to select optimum engine power for various stages of flight.
[48] With this, the Hurricane pilots found their ability to climb significantly improved.
[49] And finally, the last major improvement used during the battle was an all -metal -stressed skin for the wings and rear armor protection for the pilot.
[50] When Fighter Command knew their time was coming to face the Luftwaffe, They accepted the fact that the Hurricane was inferior in performance to the Measure Schmidt 109E.
[51] The Measure Schmidt 109E was faster at all altitudes and could out -climb and out -dive the Hurricane.
[52] So if the pilot in an ME -109 decided to end the contest, he could simply pull away and that would be it.
[53] The Hurricane could never hope to pursue.
[54] But the Hurricane did have some arrows in its quiver.
[55] In low altitude maneuverability and turning circle at all altitudes, the Hurricane was superior, and if the ME -109 did not start the dogfight from a higher altitude, the Hurricane had a decent chance.
[56] But it was the Hurricane's ability to take damage and stay in the fight that the pilots appreciated the most.
[57] Taking all this into consideration, the Hurricanes were quickly delegated the task of going after the German bombers.
[58] But, in battle, plans mean very little.
[59] Besides, the German bomber formations rarely operated above 16 ,000 or 17 ,000 feet, so were accessible to the Hurricanes.
[60] However, there were times when the Hurricanes found themselves being attacked from above by diving Me -109s that were there to protect the bombers.
[61] By the end of 1939, the RAF had more than 600 Hurricane I's and received 200 a month by the middle of 1940.
[62] However, during the Battle of France, more than 300 of these machines had been lost.
[63] and, more importantly, many experienced pilots were also gone.
[64] But the Hawker Company contributed the only way it could.
[65] It made as many aircraft as they could with the help of the Gloucester Company that joined it in late 1939, and together repaired as many of the aircraft during the battle as possible.
[66] By the end of the battle, some 1 ,700 hurricanes were used by Fighter Command, and 696 had been either totally destroyed, or put out of commission for a short time.
[67] The war went on after the battle, but so did improvements to the hurricane.
[68] As the days and months went by, the performance gap between the hurricane and Messerschmitt would decrease.
[69] Soon after the battle, the hurricane had a 1 ,260 horsepower Merlin XX engine that had a maximum speed of 354 miles an hour at 22 ,000 feet.
[70] And it soon had greater firepower in the form of either 12 machine guns, or four cannon.
[71] But in July of 1940, the contest between the RAF and the Luftwaffe had just begun, and they would continue their air battle by day and night as the war went on.
[72] Here's an excerpt from Air Commodore Peter Brothers, who served with many squadrons, received many awards and medals, and shot down at least 16 enemy aircraft.
[73] The hurricane's visibility was pretty good, except above and below to the rear.
[74] The mirror was useful, but not as effective as it might have been.
[75] I replaced mine with a curved rear view mirror and actually felt it gave me a touch extra speed besides giving me a better view.
[76] I once looked into my mirror and saw the biggest, fattest ME -109 ever, or so it seemed.
[77] All at once, his front lit up as he fired at me. The ME -109 went over the top to be followed by my number two, who was now firing at me. When we got down, I put him on the gun practice for two days and told him, don't shoot at your friends, and if you shoot at something, make sure you hit it.
[78] And now, the story of the Battle of Britain.
[79] July 11th to the 15th.
[80] France was out of the war, and Britain stood alone.
[81] The English Channel was the only thing saving the practically unequipped, relatively small British army.
[82] No one in Germany knew how to cross the water to engage the one remaining enemy and thus in the war.
[83] But for now, that wasn't the main issue at hand.
[84] Modern war had shown the advantage of ruling the skies over a battlefield.
[85] And so, the air war was to be the beginning of the end of British resistance.
[86] To fully appreciate the details of the Battle of Britain, a general knowledge of British geography is needed.
[87] I will endeavor to draw as detailed a mental map as possible as we go.
[88] But for now, I will lean heavily on everyone knowing the locations of London, the Isle of Wight, and Wales.
[89] Last time, we started with July 10th, a date that many consider to be the beginning of the battle.
[90] But honestly, with war, the beginning is vague, obscure, and it blends in with the middle, which then blends in with the end.
[91] But the following is a day -to -day account of what happened.
[92] Thursday, July 11th, saw overcast to occasional fair skies over southern Britain, while the Midlands and further north experienced intervals of sunshine and thunderstorms.
[93] During the early morning hours, a number of single aircraft raids were carried out between Yarmouth, which is located on the northwest corner of the Isle of Wight, all the way to Flamborough Head, which is on the east coast, halfway towards Scotland.
[94] At Bridlington, a truck holding ammunition was hit and exploded.
[95] These numerous smaller raids hoped to either sneak in through the bad weather and deliver damning blows, or to at least confuse and disperse, or otherwise tie down various squadrons.
[96] Early morning radar also reported three formations heading toward a convoy off Dorset, to the west of the Isle of Wight, near Weymouth.
[97] Six hurricanes were ordered to intercept, while six Spitfires covered the ships.
[98] The Hurricanes did their job in keeping the unidentified German planes occupied, as did the Spitfires, and no ships were sunk.
[99] Later that morning, Douglas Batter of 242 Hurricane Squadron took off in the rain because an unidentified aircraft was detected.
[100] It turned out to be a Dornier 17.
[101] Surprised but elated, Batter got off a burst of gunfire before it slipped into the clouds.
[102] Later, he was told a witness saw it crash into the sea.
[103] Sir Douglas Batter had lost both of his legs in 1931 in a flying accident, but rejoined when war came.
[104] He would go on to earn several awards and honors before being shot down in 1941 and becoming a prisoner of war.
[105] Further west and to the north in Wales, a raid on Swansea was executed, but the damage was not significant.
[106] Further west, reconnaissance was carried out on the shipping near Milford Haven.
[107] Supplies being brought into Britain, would always be a valued target by the Luftwaffe.
[108] Early that same afternoon, 15 Yunkers 87s, escorted by 30 -plus ME -110s, were detected heading for Portland, which is about 40 miles west to the Isle of Wight.
[109] The area had already suffered major damage earlier that month and would be targeted many times before this was over.
[110] Thanks to radar, the RAF knew they were coming as soon as they left the Jersey area, just off the Cherbourg Peninsula of France.
[111] Hoping to save the people of Portland from more suffering, six hurricanes rushed to intercept, but the bombing had already begun.
[112] Hurricanes came in fast, and two ME -10s were shot out of the sky.
[113] The AA guns at Portland also gave a good account of themselves, and disrupted the German formation.
[114] Whether AA guns or RAF fighters, someone damaged a third ME -110, which was forced to land near Weymouth, almost undamaged.
[115] The occupants were arrested before the aircraft could be destroyed.
[116] Later that afternoon, six Spitfires intercepted 12 ME -109s off Deal, which is north of Dover, on the far southeast coast.
[117] The ME -109s were escorting a Heinkel 59 seaplane with Red Cross markings.
[118] The array of pilots were confused by this, but all they cared about were the convoys just off the coast.
[119] If this unusually marked aircraft was supposed to confuse them, it didn't work.
[120] The Heinkel was shot down.
[121] Beachy near Deal.
[122] Other ME -109s, along with two Spitfires, were shot down.
[123] That area around Norfolk saw several reconnaissance patrols by German aircraft that afternoon.
[124] Clearly, more enemy planes would return.
[125] But the day was not over, and the Luftwaffe was trying to demonstrate its dominance over southern Britain as it sent out 12 HE -111s and 12 ME -110s over the Isle of Wight around 5 .45 p .m. They were intercepted by six hurricanes.
[126] but with inconclusive results.
[127] However, the Germans were shown that the skies were not theirs.
[128] Not yet.
[129] That night saw bombing in the south, on Portsmouth and Portland, in eastern Britain, on Hull, Ipswich, Harrogate, Doncaster, and Harwich.
[130] In the far northwest, bombs were dropped near Firth or Forth, off the east coast of Scotland.
[131] Western Britain was attacked as well, with bombs being dropped in south Wales around Bristol.
[132] and other nearby areas.
[133] RAF fighters did 32 sorties that night, but no interceptions were made.
[134] Losses for the day were 4 for the RAF and 11 for the Luftwaffe.
[135] The total so far since the day before was 10 loss for the RAF and 24 for the Luftwaffe.
[136] Welcome to True Spies.
[137] The podcast that takes you deep inside the greatest secret missions of all time.
[138] Suddenly out of the dark it's appeared in love.
[139] You'll meet the people who live life undercover.
[140] What do they know?
[141] What are their skills?
[142] And what would you do in their position?
[143] Vengeance felt good.
[144] Seeing these people pay for what they'd done felt righteous.
[145] True Spies from Spyscape Studios.
[146] Wherever you get your podcasts.
[147] The weather on Friday, July 12th, was no better, with clouds and scattered thunderstorms still hanging over Britain, and a fog over the Channel.
[148] Hitler knew that starving the British would be almost as effective as invading, so made sure the Luftwaffe stayed after the British convoys, bringing raw material and other needed basics.
[149] The convoys were there, with their crews' eyes and ears straining to detect German bombers.
[150] And of course, the bombers were there, trying very hard to find the ships.
[151] and it was only a matter of time before some of the convoys off Suffolk, North Forland, and Kent were discovered.
[152] The first to be found was a Suffolk convoy, located just northeast of London.
[153] While three defiance and nine hurricanes tried to protect the ships, 12 hurricanes went for the attackers.
[154] The main shipping raid consisted of two formations.
[155] One group had over 12 aircraft, while the other had at least six.
[156] The two adversaries circled each other and looked for possible opportunities to attack.
[157] But the clouds made pursuit and the confirmation of victories almost impossible.
[158] Near Aberdeen in Scotland, just 80 miles north of the Firth of Forth, Spitfires from 603 Squadron ran across HE -111s and managed to shoot one down.
[159] Still, a shipyard was bombed, but there was very little damage to shipbuilding or repair facilities.
[160] Generally, the weather dominated the day.
[161] not allowing any large organized raids.
[162] The day was spent mostly by 11 Group intercepting small raids all over their whole area.
[163] Less intensive raids on shipping took place in the afternoon off the Isle of Wight and Portland on the western edge of 11 Group's area.
[164] During one of these attacks to the south, one hurricane pilot's plane dived into the sea, but he was picked up by a naval unit and saved.
[165] Other attacks by German bombers took place far to the west, around Cornwall and Devon.
[166] Air Vice Marshal Keith Park of 11 Group was certainly feeling the pressure, as were his people, and so prudently started moving men and planes around.
[167] 152 Squadron was moved from Acklington, Northumberland, to Middle Wallop, Hampshire.
[168] Here, 152 was more or less in the middle of Park's 11 Group.
[169] That night, South Wales and Bristol were attacked several times.
[170] There was also bombings to the south on Portland.
[171] In fact, the cities between Portland and South Wales suffered as well.
[172] The East Coast was bombed that night north of London at Northumberland and Billingham.
[173] Bombs were also dropped on Kupar north of Edinburgh.
[174] The recorded losses that day were 6 for the RAF and 8 for the Luftwaffe.
[175] Total recorded losses were 16.
[176] versus 32 respectively.
[177] Home security reports revealed that numerous raids were starting to cause damage not easily or quickly fixed in the south, but also in the southwest, parts of Wales, and Scotland.
[178] The damage was taking its toll.
[179] A further report showed that Aberdeen was hit by a single aircraft that dropped...
[180] high -explosive bombs that caused 26 deaths and 79 casualties and considerable property damage, including the Hall -Russell and Company ironworks.
[181] But, the report also noted, savaged Portland to the south, which had been hit numerous times, was still functioning, though the nerves of those in the area were starting to feel the strain.
[182] Saturday, July 13th, had poor but improving visibility after an early morning fog cleared away.
[183] Again, weather kept the attackers at bay, but the Luftwaffe, or more likely Gehring, was determined to keep trying.
[184] During the early morning, two raiding formations approached the Isle of Wight to the south, and despite the weather, 501 Squadron, made up of hurricanes, intercepted Dornier 17s and shot one down.
[185] Later that morning, the Luftwaffe tried again, but this time, 43 Squadron, again made up of hurricanes, intercepted and shot down an HE -111.
[186] The sky cleared a little in the afternoon, and resulted in shipping off of Portland being bombed.
[187] However, there was almost no damage caused to the ships, and soon, 238 Squadron of Hurricanes and 609 Squadron of Spitfire showed up.
[188] They shot down some ME -110s and Dornier 17s, and chased the rest of the attackers off.
[189] To the east, there were numerous raids, but only two went after convoys.
[190] The rest were opportunistic patrols.
[191] Around 5 .30 that afternoon, a mixed formation of Junker's 87s and Messerschmitt's 109s attacked the Dover Harbor and a convoy further north off of Harwich.
[192] A second German group attacked a convoy just south of Dover.
[193] The second raid was intercepted by a 64 squadron made up of spitfires.
[194] But the men manning the AA guns below were ready and harassed the bombers with a wall of flak.
[195] In fact, one of the Spitfires was slightly damaged by the AA fire, but the pilot was unhurt.
[196] Probably thinking enough squadrons were engaged in the area, another mixed force of Junkers 87s and 12 German fighters were on their way over the channel when intercepted south of Dover around 6 p .m. The attackers had been plotted since leaving Calais, and 56 Squadron met them in the air.
[197] The results were inconclusive, but the raid was broken up before it could start.
[198] That night, fighters were dispatched to intercept the few raids launched, but there were no kills.
[199] It was suspected that the Thames Estuary was mined.
[200] RAF losses for the day was only one, but seven for the Luftwaffe.
[201] Total recorded losses to date, 17 for the RAF and 39 for the Luftwaffe.
[202] For the third day in a row, just over 1 ,000 barrage balloons were sent up, disrupting enemy flight plans.
[203] And like the previous days, Two to three dozen were destroyed.
[204] Air intelligence found an ME -109 that had crashed near Kent, and what they learned disturbed them.
[205] The Germans were increasing their use of armor plate, both in bombers and fighters.
[206] The 303 guns used by the British fighters could not easily penetrate the 8mm of German steel.
[207] The weather had improved by Sunday, July 14th, but it was far from perfect.
[208] The RAF fighters saw more Red Cross seaplanes, but quickly determined that the Germans were using them for reconnaissance instead of rescue.
[209] The British government announced that these aircraft would no longer enjoy immunity.
[210] The day started off with reconnaissance by German fighters over east of London, to the south near the Isle of Wight and inland, and further west near Land's End.
[211] That morning, two raids of bombers attempted to take out a destroyer off Swanage.
[212] to the west of the Isle of Wight, but failed.
[213] However, a convoy near Dover to the east was hit by raiders and suffered some damage.
[214] It was decided that patrols would cover the many convoys for the rest of the day and allow the ships to sail in relative safety.
[215] German reconnaissance aircraft were plodded far to the west and south, near Land's End, but fortunately there were no convoys in that area.
[216] Still looking for opportunities to starve out the British, German reconnaissance aircraft were even plotted as far as Misenhead in South Ireland.
[217] At about 3 o 'clock that afternoon, a number of raids were plotted, assembled behind Calais in France.
[218] In consequence, three fighter squadrons proceeded to investigate and intercepted an enemy force of 40 Jungers 87s, escorted by a number of ME -109s over Dover and the Channel.
[219] During this combat, A hurricane, which failed to answer a challenge by a RAF pilot, was attacked, whereupon it died towards the sea and flew off to France.
[220] Two merchant vessels were attacked and a naval unit was hit during this engagement.
[221] Up north, a raid approached the Scottish coast near Montrose, about 30 miles south of Aberdeen.
[222] It was reported to be a Dornier, but for some reason it never crossed the coast and disappeared in a southeasterly direction.
[223] But that night...
[224] Around 10 p .m., the Germans more than made up for the day's light activity, with bombs being dropped over the west, in the Bristol area, in the south, just above the Isle of Wight, in the southeast, and in the east, near Suffolk.
[225] Also, there were some 18 raids off of the Thames Estuary and Harwich, which were suspected to be mine lane.
[226] Losses for the day were four for the British and two for the Germans.
[227] Total recorded losses to date were 21 for the RAF, and 41 for the Luftwaffe.
[228] What fair weather there was disappeared on Monday, July 15th, as low clouds and heavy rain dominated the skies over Great Britain.
[229] However, the Germans used these conditions to execute a small raid of a Westland aircraft factory that caused some damage.
[230] A convoy was also attacked to the east of London, but with no damage reported.
[231] To the south, a small force of Dornier 17s went after a channel convoy.
[232] but were driven off by hurricanes.
[233] But the Luftwaffe had more success in the west.
[234] A runway at Yeauville and a railway line near Avonmont, both in Somerset, were wrecked.
[235] Also, bombs were dropped at an RAF station at St. Anthem.
[236] However, some of the bombs didn't explode, and the airfield was cratered.
[237] To the north that afternoon, there was a raid over Drem, which is east of Edinburgh, but no damage was reported.
[238] Bombers were also seen flying just north of Aberdeen.
[239] There was no night bombing detected, but mines were laid to the north and off the east coast.
[240] The British lost one aircraft to the Luftwaffe's three.
[241] Total recorded losses to date were 22 for the RAF and 44 for the Luftwaffe.
[242] The Germans were getting the worst of this deal so far, but the British had fewer aircraft and certainly fewer experienced pilots to lose.
[243] Next time, we will see the battle continue as Hitler issues Directive No. 16 the next day, on July 16, for Operation Sea Line.
[244] Still, he is not convinced of its ultimate success, and Admiral Rader is wholly against it.
[245] But the generals are only thinking of what they will accomplish once they get across.
[246] And Reich Marshal Hermann Goering, the head of the vaunted Luftwaffe, smiles to himself as he is convinced that his daring and seemingly innumerable aircraft will bring Britain to his Fuhrer on their bleeding knees to beg for peace.
[247] Still, Hitler, the politician, sees a possible way out of this.
[248] He will appeal to the British people one more time, and in his speech will try to convince them that their leader's policies are sheer madness.
[249] Victory of any kind was beyond the Lone Island Nation.
[250] Greetings from Central Virginia.
[251] And for those of you who have asked exactly what I mean by that, I am 30 minutes south of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville.
[252] So for me, that's the big city.
[253] I live in the middle of nowhere.
[254] And I have to say this, I recorded this episode this morning, and then I drove to Charlottesville to see a local production of The Producers, which was absolutely amazing.
[255] For those people who live near me, and there are some listeners because they've emailed me, the live arts on the downtown mall was absolutely amazing.
[256] But anyway, it was very strange to see during their play a 20 -foot banner of the swastika and all these people dressed as stormtroopers.
[257] And even though they're singing and dancing and acting hysterically feminine, it was still very eerie to see.
[258] It's just very hard to wrap my head around the fact that we can sit here and make jokes about this man and laugh and mock him.
[259] Because, you know, when he was around, he shook the world.
[260] And it's just amazing how far we've come.
[261] Of course, thanks to the valor and courage of so many.
[262] So again, we just owe them.
[263] We just owe them so much.
[264] Okay, moving on.
[265] the new website.
[266] It is finally up.
[267] You can now go to worldwar2podcast .net, see the new website.
[268] It has all the episodes on there, and they're all in the MP3 format, because I've got a lot of requests for that.
[269] But that also means there's another page on iTunes for the podcast.
[270] So what I need you to do, what I'm begging everyone to do when you can, when you get a moment, is to go onto iTunes and find the new podcast.
[271] You can just search Ray Harris Jr. and you'll see three podcasts up there, all the history of World War II.
[272] If you could subscribe to the one that has the picture of the Allied leaders, because that's the official podcast from now.
[273] I will leave the older website up for a couple more weeks to allow everybody to catch up and make the switch.
[274] But then I'll kill the MobileMe server.
[275] And the two podcasts and the two websites that have the picture of Hitler with the swastika as the cover art will disappear.
[276] And we will only have one from now on.
[277] And I apologize again, but I just pray your patience one more time.
[278] And this will all be behind us and everything will be taken care of.
[279] The gentleman who put the...
[280] website together for me. His name is Paul Finch.
[281] He lives in Scotland.
[282] And he emailed me a couple of weeks, actually a couple of months ago, and volunteered to do it, which I took him up on it.
[283] I hope he doesn't regret it.
[284] But he has pretty much done everything, and I've just made minor decisions.
[285] Thought it was best to stay out of the way.
[286] So if you like the website, it's all his doing.
[287] And you can always help me to thank him by following him on Twitter, PaulVFinch.
[288] on Twitter, or you can go to paulvfinch .co .uk and check out his website.
[289] But he volunteered, he spent his time doing it, and I just want to say, Paul, thank you very much.
[290] So, what can I tell you about Paul?
[291] He has the mind of Aristotle and the form of mortal sin.
[292] He is all things to all men, and perhaps to one special lady.
[293] Actually, I don't know if that's true or not, but it should be.
[294] It should be.
[295] So I really do want to thank him for everything he's done.
[296] And, of course, we'll be going on adding more things, pictures and maps and stuff like that.
[297] So we're not quite done yet, but it is up and running, and you can take a look at it.
[298] Okay, next, the tour.
[299] A lot of emails about this.
[300] I am so excited.
[301] I got an itinerary from the company, and we are this close.
[302] And, of course, you can't see this, but my forefinger and my thumb are almost touching.
[303] We are this close to making it official, and you are going to love it.
[304] They pretty much gave me everything I wanted.
[305] I was so amazed.
[306] I can't really go into it yet because it has been finalized.
[307] But it will be the last week of October, and we will be going to London and Paris, Patton's Gravesque.
[308] We're going to a lot of places.
[309] Hopefully it'll come out soon, and in the second it does, I will tell you all about it, but it's going to be a blast, and I cannot wait for October to get here.
[310] So excited.
[311] Before I let you go, I have to share this with you.
[312] For those of you who have been with me since the beginning, you've heard me butcher German names, you've heard me butcher French names, and now I'm currently butchering the English names of cities and places, so I might as well throw in the Canadians.
[313] It turns out that the radio show that I'm going to be on in early February, Paranormal A, is actually a Canadian show, which means it's pronounced Paranormal A. So I totally apologize to Terry.
[314] He emailed me. He pretty much laughed the entire email.
[315] He says it happens all the time.
[316] But if I'd known it was Canadian, I promise you I would have gotten it right.
[317] That's one thing I do know from being a Michael J. Fox fan.
[318] But anyway, so I will be on his show early February, and I'll tell you about it as we get closer to it.
[319] And last but not least, I would like to thank my contributors, Philip S., who lives in London, UK, for his donation.
[320] Thank you very much, Philip.
[321] And to McDara B. in Ireland.
[322] And yes, McDara, I would like to do your show so we can talk about that later.
[323] I'll get back to you.
[324] And thank you for your donation as well.
[325] So that's it for now.
[326] If you ever have any questions, whatever, you can email me at ray42harris at yahoo .com.
[327] I will have a new email address with the website.
[328] I'm going to have that soon.
[329] And I'll give that to you when I have.
[330] But you can always email me at the yahoo doesn't matter.
[331] I check that every day anyway.
[332] Next time I'll have some more audible references for you.
[333] I have a lot of good ones, but this time I just wanted to get this episode out there.
[334] And speaking of which, I have, I think, at least four more books coming in the mail on the Battle of Britain.
[335] So the episodes will get better.
[336] They will get more detailed.
[337] And I'll be able to try to back up a little bit and give you more of the big picture as opposed to just...
[338] Welcome to True Spies.
[339] The podcast that takes you deep inside the greatest secret missions of all time.
[340] Suddenly out of the dark it's appeared in love.
[341] You'll meet the people who live life undercover.
[342] What do they know?
[343] What are their skills?
[344] And what would you do in their position?
[345] Vengeance felt good.
[346] Seeing these people pay for what they'd done felt righteous.
[347] True Spies from Spyscape Studios.
[348] Wherever you get your podcasts.