This has already seen the threat of legal action from Dame Vera Lynn, as the BNP are marketing an album of Second World War classic songs, including “White Cliffs of Dover”. Much of the national press has covered this story, and a little more research has revealed the album also includes contributions from the once famous black singer “Hutch”, Leslie Hutchinson, plus the composer Irving Berlin, bandleaders Bert Ambrose and Joe Loss and comedian Bud Flanagan, who were all Jewish. A rather more multicultural mix than Mr Griffin and his chums might have realised.Something a bit closer to us in R J Mitchell’s old home town is their use of a Second World War Spitfire as the main image for the campaign. I’m sure that a lot of us, even people who aren’t usually given to having a go at the BNP, might think that this was overstepping the mark, hijacking such an iconic image for party political purposes.
The Spitfire picture – “Romeo Foxtrot Delta” – is the one on the BNP website.
It’s identifiable from its “RF” marking as belonging to 303 Squadron. And guess what? 303 was a Polish squadron!
It seems that none of the “patriots” at the BNP obviously know or care enough about the history of the Battle of Britain, despite all their enthusiastic flag waving, to get this detail right. Whereas I, a female of the left-wing political tradition, spotted it as soon as I got hold of a colour version of the picture.
We even know which Polish pilot flew this plane: Squadron Leader Jan Zumbach. Here he is in 1942.
Now I don’t know about you, but that seems to be an odd choice for the party currently circulating local election materials damning the present Government for opening “the doors of Britain to the hudled (sic) masses of Eastern Europe”.
Still, it’s an easy mistake to make. After all, if they just picked a random photo of a Battle of Britain plane, they would have had about a 1 in 5 chance of picking a “non-Brit”.
During the Battle of Britain the Poles shot down 203 Luftwaffe aircraft which stood for 12% of total German losses in this battle, punching well above their weight in numbers, though credit where it’s due – the highest scoring individual “ace” was a Czech, Sgt Josef František!
According to the website of the Battle of Britain Historical society, aircrew came from the following countries:
Great Britain - 2,340, Australia - 32 , Barbados – 1, Belgium – 28, Canada – 112, Czechoslovakia – 89, France – 13, Ireland – 10, Jamaica – 1, Newfoundland – 1, New Zealand – 127, Poland – 145, Rhodesia – 3, South Africa – 25, United States – 9.
So it’s probably just as well that when the Nazis invaded their home countries, those guys from France, Belgium, Czechoslovakia and Poland didn’t take the BNP’s advice to refugees and asylum-seekers and just go to the nearest safe country, which could well have been neutral Switzerland or Sweden.
And that was just the situation in 1940 – before the end of the war “our” planes were piloted by airmen from many other nations, including India (including modern-day Pakistan and Bangladesh) and Sierra Leone.
But though we might laugh at this gaff, this is a serious matter. Let’s remember what this image is being used to promote – the BNP’s European election campaign, and specifically a series of “black tie” dinner events with BNP leader Nick Griffin as the speaker.
That’s the same Nick Griffin who in 1998 was found guilty of inciting race hatred at Harrow Crown Court for denying that the Holocaust ever took place.
Remember that, when you see the BNP daring to try and bask in the glory of “the Few”.
Plane Jane
Pits'n'pots
27 comments:
That photo or painting isnt from 1942 - markings had changed by then. More likely 1941.
They are all White so we dont care,it's that simple.
wide-eyed dyke suzie.
Here's something Plane Jane didnt spot: 303 squadron could only have taken part in half of the Battle of Britain since it did not become an operational squadron until August 31st 1940, about two months after the start of the Battle of Britain.
"The Few" didnt include Polish 303 Spitfire Pilots, they used Hurricanes at the time. Surprised that was noted by Plane Jane
Nice point - and acurate !
However just to get the facts in before the Nutzies try to hijack the truth, the three Rhodesian Aircrew did not, repeat not include the late and unlamented Ian Smith.
His involvement with the RAF never got beyond local training in Southern Rhodesia.
And I speak as one who is rather older than thee Denise, and whose boyhood heros were Bader, Tuck, Cunningham, Gibson etc.
Old Sailor.
(And Vian, Sommerville, Tovey, Crabbe, Fraser, Walker, Esmond etc - just to remind the NUTZIES of real patriotism and sacrifice)
Just as Nick Griffin, self appointed guardian of British culture, doesn't know his Shakespeare from his Keats and misattributes some very popular lines, so some BNP-moron hunkered-down election-plotting demonstrates his (let us assume it is a 'he') ignorance to all and sundry in that he does not know his WWII iconic aircraft.
Didn't he ever have a poster on his wall identifying all the important aircraft of WWII? Didn't he ever read about them, or have a spotter book, or visit any Air Force museum, or watch TV programmes on the main players of the battle of Britain?
Obviously not. The image of a spitfire was what he wanted to evoke the spirit of the Battle of Britain, and so the image was ripped-off plain and simple without permission or checking, because what he was after was image, not substance. Never mind the background or context or truth - mere details, details.
Surely if one is ripping-off an iconic image of WWII aircraft one has a little google to double check its provenance . . . but not the BNP. They are not ones for checking anything, ever, because their opinion are actually facts and that's that.
LOL, I love it, you couldn't make it up, now they're honouring the Polish (coming over here, taking our jobs . . .).
piss off you smelly fat slut get a wash you soap dodger
"piss off you smelly fat slut get a wash you soap dodger"
It's interesting to see BNP members putting in their usual coherent and well thought-out comments.
Thank you for your intelligent contribution.
First and foremost, it must be vigorously to the British public that the BNP hail from the National Front which hailed from Oswald Mosley's pro-Nazi, pro-Hitler tradition, and Tyndal who set up the BNP described himself as a "National Socialist".
The pro-nazi tradition of the BNP is easily explemplified by their recent description of Winston Churchill as a war criminal.
THE BNP CAN EASILY BE LINKED TO THEIR PRO-NAZI HISTORY.
SPITFIRES WERE ANT-NAZI ATTACK PLANES!
The BNP have more dirty baggage than it's drunken members piss-yellow underwear, lol.
We need to remind people about the BNP's pro-nazi hypocrisy.
Fat pig Paul Cromie stinks of BO, actually, if the BNP are going to call people who take esception to them as "needing soap".
Nick Griffin could do with a mouthful of soap for teling continual lies, lol
I wander what's happened to the so-called rebels?
Talk about "plane stupid!"
actually almost all of you are wrong Im afraid, certainly both the BNP and Plane Jane are for not only did no pilot from 303 squadron ever fly a Spitfire in the Battle for Britain, the most influential plane in that fight was actually the Hurricane which accounted for 57% of all downed German (nazi) aeroplanes compared to only 43% for the spitfire.
Gri££in is a CUNT
Sea Vixen
pissykit said?
Spelling hmmm
@ griffinsaliar
"First and foremost, it must be vigorously to the British public that the BNP hail from the National Front which hailed from Oswald Mosley's pro-Nazi, pro-Hitler tradition, and Tyndal who set up the BNP described himself as a "National Socialist"."
Actually, the BNP hails from the National Front which hailed (or is that heiled?) from the Arnold Leese tradition which believed Mosley to have been "in the pay of the Jews".
No matter how hard you try to paint these people as common or garden pond life, the truth of the matter is that they are actually something far worse.
Some of us are aware of the Spitfire/Huricane/Defiant/Blenheim/Fulmare/Gladiator ratio of squadrons involved in the BoB - And the reasons why.
I don't think that it is proper to start an argument on this particullaly when very very few of posters were there and participated..
However it is well recorded that in the roll call of "The Few" Poles, Checks, Irish, American, Kenyan, Jewish, Central African, West Indian, and Indian pilots served, and died.
All of whom the so called patriots of the British Nonces Party have denigrated and accused of destroying our culture and nation.
The freedom that these scum abuse to spread hate and loathing was purchased by the young lives of those who fought and in many cases died high over the fields of Kent and Sussex.
At a low sping tide you can walk over the Kent Flays between Whitstable and Sheppy - I can find you the engine blocks and other4 wreckage of aircraft - In many cases the remains of the air crew were not recovered for a proper burial.
And the Nutzies declare thier hate.
What a bag of scumbags.
Old Sailor
Old Sailor
Ooopps nearly missed this one.
"Here's something Plane Jane didnt spot: 303 squadron could only have taken part in half of the Battle of Britain since it did not become an operational squadron until August 31st 1940, about two months after the start of the Battle of Britain."
Film 1966 "The Battle of Britain"
303 Squadon on training flight.
" Come Back in Polish"
If Hough and Deighton in thier Histories of the BOB are correct those were the actual words used by Squadron Leader Kent (RAF) CO 303 squadron, when 303 Squadron went "Hunting" having inadvertently ranged into a raid whilst on a training flight.
Dowding authorised the opporational use of 303 the following day in August 1940.
Old Sailor
@Old sailor
Plane Jane missed a lot of things
The Battle of Britain started in June 1940.
303 squadron was not operational until the end of August.
303 didnt fly Spits at that time anyway but Hurricanes.
Hurricanes shot down more German planes than the Spits did during BofB.
The Spitfire may have iconic status but the Hurricane was more prolific both in number and in kills during the BofB if we are to be accurate.
Perhaps Jane and the BNP should have used a picture of a Hurricane as it was the Hurricane that in the most part saved us during BofB
"Dowding authorised the opporational use of 303 the following day in August 1940."
BofB started in June that year
Some of us are aware of the "Spitfire/Huricane/Defiant/Blenheim/Fulmare/Gladiator ratio of squadrons involved in the BoB - And the reasons why.
I don't think that it is proper to start an argument on this"
Thered be no need for it if Plane Jane had got her facts right in the furst place
"in the roll call of "The Few" Poles, Checks, Irish, American, Kenyan, Jewish, Central African, West Indian, and Indian pilots"
Not forgetting, although some seem to, Australians and Canadians and at least one Rhodesian
Worth mentioning also is that one of the brothers who headed Aviation manufacturer Avroe was a long term supporter of the BUF and Mosley.
Avroe manufactured Britain's much loved Lancaster plane - brings a whole new meaning to the term facsist bomber
The BNP should be a little bit more careful about where they lift their publicity material, first they choose a Spitfire from a POLISH Squadron to head their Battle for Britain campaign, next their Liverpool branch banner seems to be a similarly badly thought out design as it omits the Northern Irish or Ulster flag but includes Eire's tricolour apparently Eire is part of the British Isles according to Liverpool BNP. No one else seems to think so and the banner is causing much division amongst the 'troops' on Stormfront.
"Worth mentioning also is that one of the brothers who headed Aviation manufacturer Avroe was a long term supporter of the BUF and Mosley.
Avroe manufactured Britain's much loved Lancaster plane - brings a whole new meaning to the term facsist bomber"
It's "AVRO" without an "e". It stands for Alliot Verdon ROe.
AT LAST... The RAF museum confirms that Spitfire Romeo Foxtrot Delta wasnt in the Battle of Britain for 303 Polish Squadron flew "HURRICANES" in the Battle of Britain - see Daily mail website for confiration that no Pole from 303 flew that plane in the Battle of Britain.
A Hurricane yes, a Spitfire No.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/303_squadron
Has more info on 303 Squadron and also see this site...
http://www.wojciechowski.freeserve.co.uk/miw/index.htm
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