Description

1940 (Feb 28) O.H.M.S. printed envelope to Commanding Officer, N.E.F., Naval Attache, Paris & forwarded to General Commandant 2a 5sme Armee cancelled on reverse Field Post /9 cds & with on face Field Post Office /? (could be 3 Mar) together with violet boxed Transit Ve Armee /Courrier /Arrive /le 7 Mars 1940 /No. with manuscript 2H1091T inserted …………………………………………………………………………………

N.E.F was a covert operation first muted in September 1939 by Winston Churchill, 1st Lord of The Admiralty to launch floating mines into the River close to Strasburg from where they would float downstream sinking German Shipping & damaging or destroying pontoon bridges across the Rhine. N.E.F., codenamed operation Royal Marine, under Admiral Fitzgerald the Naval Attache in Paris went to Western France early in 1940 with operations planned to commence in March 1940. Delays occurred due to French Prime Minister Edouard Daladier oppossing the plan but his government fell on 19 March being replaced by Paul Reynaud & after both War Cabinet met in London it was agreed to commence operations on 4 April. Daladier now Minister of Defence & still hostile convinced the War Cabinet that the plan could take place if Germany attacked Belgium or France, that attack took place 10 May & nearly 1700 mines were dropped into the Rhine during the 1st week resulting in almost a total stop to water traffic between Karlruhe & Mainz together with severe damage to a number of pontoon bridges. The N.E.F. now fought a guerrilla type of war retreating to Paris where they launched the remainder of the mines into the Seine to destroy bridges being constructed downstream, they later withdrew to Le Mans & then by truck to St. Malo where the Duke of Westminsters private yacht was commandeered & sailed into Southampton ….Churchill used this to boost morale.