16 May The Buzz Bombs
In January of 1944, Hedvig “Hedy” Johnson moved from her office at the OSS (Office of Strategic Services) headquarters in Washington, DC to London where she would join the OSS X-2 Counterespionage unit.
Hedy knew what awaited her in London. More than three years earlier, in September of 1940, Hitler had unleashed his bombers on London and other cities in Britain. In the beginning, there were bombings every day and every night. Londoners fled to underground tube stations converted to bomb shelters. Countless homes and buildings were destroyed, and more than 42,000 civilians were killed. The Blitz, short for the German word Blitzkrieg, or “lightning war,” lasted until May of 1941.
Office workers making their way through debris as they go to work after a heavy air raid on London.
Only 10 days after she arrived, the Luftwaffe resumed mass bombing of London in what was called the Baby Blitz. These raids went on for three months, up to 100 planes per night. Fortunately, the damage was not as extensive as in 1940. During the previous four years, Germany had lost too many planes and pilots to wage as severe a strike.
Then, just days after the Allied invasion at Normandy, Hitler began to send over the Vergeltungswaffen, his vengeance weapons. First to arrive were the unmanned V-1s, jet-powered airplanes that carried a one-ton bomb. These were known as buzz bombs or, as nicknamed by the RAF, doodlebugs.
The first night, 217 bombs were aimed at Britain, with 45 of those hitting London. These flying bombs thundered across the Channel day and night. In July, Hedy mailed home a cartoon she had cut from the Daily Express. Cartoonist Carl Giles had drawn a busy London street scene. Everyone sported one normal ear and one huge ear. A man remarked to his companion, “It’s ridiculous to say these flying bombs have affected people in ANY way.”
At night, we watched the bombings by the German planes and the ack-ack of the British artillery attempting their destruction. This was exciting, but when the buzz bombs (V-1s) started, that was different. The bombs flew over, and when the motor stopped, that was it. You knew it was going to hit. You had to either hide or pray. They started every evening, all night long, and I could hardly sleep.
Later on, we had daytime treats also. I spent my evenings in underground nightclubs and my boss got me an ankle bracelet he insisted I wear because he knew I would be found dead somewhere with no identification.
(Above is excerpted from the book: Liberty Lady: A True Story of Love and Espionage in WWII Sweden)
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