Wartime photos received within a day kept West Coast citizens informed.
"1940::Newsstand at the Corner of Granville and Robson Street in Vancouver, British Columbia"
Photo: City of Vancouver Archives (AM640-S1-: CVA 260-1372) Photographer: James Crookall (1887-1960)
On May 10, 1940, Nazi Germany invaded the Netherlands, despite Dutch neutrality, intending to seize total control at whatever cost. However, the Dutch, who had banned the Nazi Regime from their airport just days earlier, had prepared themselves for the backlash. As Nazi bombers attacked Amsterdam's Schipol Airport and dropped Suicide Squad paratroopers from their planes, the Allied forces met the blitzkrieg with an equally powerful defence.
"1940::First Photos of Blitzkrieg Over Amsterdam's Schipol Airport"
Photo Clip: The Winnipeg Tribune (1940)
Vancouver, British Columbia
The invasion of the Netherlands saw one of Nazi Germany's first uses of a Suicide Squad. However, many of the squad's paratroopers, believing they could fool the Allies by wearing Dutch and British uniforms, were shot before they reached the ground. When the battle was won, both on the ground and in the air, the Dutch had fought off their first invasion in 145 years. Days later, however, after the bombing of Rotterdam, Dutch forces fell and surrendered to Nazi Germany.
"1940::Sending and Receiving Wartime Photos Around the World Using Wirephoto Technology"
Photo Clip: Fort Worth Star-Telegram (1940)
Fort Worth, Texas
Photographs taken at the scene of the blitzkrieg were immediately sent by telephone wire from Amsterdam to London and then by radio to New York, where the Associated Press dispersed them via Wirephoto. The transmission was so fast that the photos and their story were featured in newspaper headlines on the Pacific Coast the very next day.