Stories of Faith and Courage from World War II

by Larkin Spivey

  A friendly trawler picked up the brave airman and delivered him back to safety in England where he was hospitalized for a broken ankle and other injuries.

  Fortunately, few of us are taken to the absolute limit of either our endurance or our patience. However, we all experience situations where “one more kick” might make the difference between success and failure. We sometimes call it “going the extra mile,” often so important in business and sports. We sometimes forget that such effort is also needed many times with friends and family. Meeting someone more than halfway can save a relationship. God is always there to provide that extra reserve when we need it and call on him for it.

  When my spirit grows faint within me, it is you who know my way.

  —Psalm 142:3

  January 14

  Nerve Tonic

  Arthur Davey was an ambulance driver in the evacuation to Dunkirk. Air raids interrupted several attempts to bring his convoy to the port, and he endured two days of anxious waiting outside the town, as the bombs seemed to fall ever closer. Finally, late in the afternoon of the second day, an officer came with instructions to move to the port, one ambulance at a time, in three-minute intervals. The officer promised that this time, there would be air cover for the embarkation. Davey described what happened next:

  When we reached the quay, and drove onto the huge concrete jetty, now holed with craters, and jagged at the sides, where bombs had torn away sections of the concrete, no ship was waiting. We turned off our motors, and proceeded to wait for the ship or the bombers. After about 20 minutes, it seemed hours, had passed, about 30 planes appeared high in the sky, from seaward we thought they were our own at first, then, when they dived, we knew that the promised air protection was merely a ‘nerve tonic.’24

  The British soldiers apparently used the term “nerve tonic” to describe lies told in tense times to calm them down. I doubt that the practice was widespread, because such a breach of honesty would destroy a regular unit over time. Soldiers have to trust their officers and vice versa. The same is true in all organizations, including our families. It’s easy to make promises that we fail to follow up on later. We all are tempted to downplay the negative and to give hope for something good to come. However, false hope is good for no one. Sooner or later, reality must prevail. We can all deal with reality better than a loss of trust in a parent, friend, or employer.

  Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body.

  —Ephesians 4:25

  January 15

  Never Surrender

  The evacuation of the army from Dunkirk offered hope and a brief respite for the British people. However, the Germans continued their drive through France, and the fate of Great Britain hung in the balance. Many British politicians were beginning to consider accommodations with Hitler that would allow the nation to avoid complete catastrophe. They wondered what would happen when the country stood alone against a Europe dominated by the Nazis. In this hour of fear and uncertainty, Winston Churchill addressed the nation to illuminate the difficult, but clear path ahead:

  We shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end. We shall fight in France, we shall fight on the seas and oceans, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air. We shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing-grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills. We shall never surrender!25

  Looking back we can now appreciate these bold words as heroic and inspiring but how easy it is to forget the uncertainty prevailing at the time they were spoken. It must have been tempting for Churchill to hedge his bets. He could have alluded to the possibility of some accommodation with Hitler that would have guaranteed Britain’s continued existence. He knew, however, that there was only one difficult path to long-term survival.

  The apostle Paul also painted a clear picture of our spiritual path and the urgency required to successfully pursue it. He left no room for half-hearted efforts.

  Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Therefore, I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.

  —1 Corinthians 9:24, 26

  January 16

  A New Spirit

  From the opening of the war to the evacuation at Dunkirk, the British Army suffered one traumatic setback after another. It became a soldier’s battle at every point as the “fog of war” descended over the vast battlefield. Coordination was difficult, reliable information scarce, and rumors were rampant. The junior officers, sergeants, and individual soldiers saved the army from disintegration by taking the initiative to keep their units together in the confusion of retreat. It was not pretty, but it worked. Instead of the greatest military disaster in British history, the army’s successful retreat and miraculous escape from Dunkirk became a source of national inspiration and hope. As one historian noted:

  Dunkirk had started something. The spirit of Britain was roused, a vast flame of self-sacrifice and endeavour which swept the country and kept it going through the next dark eighteen months. In this campaign there had been no differentiation by rank. Everybody, from the commanding general downwards, had faced the same conditions, the same dangers and the same hardships. All the privileges of peacetime had disappeared and there grew from it not only inter-service co-operation but also that tremendous comradeship that carried the forces through Alamein and Normandy.26

  Across the Atlantic, sensing this new spirit of defiance in the people and government of Great Britain, The New York Times proclaimed:

  So long as the English tongue survives, the word Dunkirk will be spoken with reverence. In that harbour… at the end of a lost battle, the rags and blemishes that had hidden the soul of democracy fell away. There, beaten but unconquered, in shining splendour, she faced the enemy, this shining thing in the souls of free men which Hitler cannot command… It is the future. It is victory.27

  But I call to God, and the Lord saves me. Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice. He ransoms me unharmed from the battle waged against me.

  —Psalm 55:16–18

  January 17

  We Had Winnie

  An American bishop asked an Englishman after the war, “How did you British survive that period during World War II between Dunkirk and the coming of the American personnel and supplies?” John Marsh, the principal of Mansfield College in Oxford, replied:

  We had Winnie [Winston Churchill]. Those speeches of his in the House of Commons were worth a million men to us. What he said compelled us by his persuasion to believe. He said that no matter what happened, we were going to win. He said, we were on the side that was going to prevail… we were going to win. There was no doubt about that.28

  It may be difficult to quantify Winston Churchill’s contribution to the war effort, but there is no doubt that his moral leadership was pivotal. There was an Old Testament leader who also had to help his nation overcome seemingly insurmountable odds. King Asa was the third king of Judah and was known as a man of great integrity. During his reign he instituted a moral revival and a renewal in purity of worship to God. When his country was invaded by a vast Ethiopian army, he was also able to inspire his troops by ensuring them that they were on the “right side.” He placed himself and his kingdom under God’s providential care and, through his faithfulness, led his nation to a great victory.

  Then Asa called to the Lord his God and said, “Lord, there is no one like you to help the powerless against the mighty. Help us, O Lord our God, for we rely on you, and in your name we have come against this vast army. O Lord, you are our God; do not let man prevail against you.”

  —2 Chronicles 14:11

  January 18

  Prayer on the Beach

  As the British Expeditionary Force retreated toward Dunkirk, the Green Howards Regim
ent was part of the rear guard fighting to delay the German advance. This unit, like many others, had endured days and nights of constant action, and every man was bone tired, hungry, and anxious. On May 29 orders finally came for withdrawal to the evacuation beaches. A Green Howards rifleman described what he saw:

  We looked a sorry sight, covered with dirt and grime with hunger gnawing at our bellies. The going was hard, the sand being so soft and deep. Thousands of men were forming queues leading down to the sea and were in the water up to their shoulders, doing their utmost to get onto one of the small boats, which very often capsized. Beachmasters had a very difficult task keeping some semblance of order, but by and large the lads just waited patiently for their turn to come until the planes came over. Those in the water just ignored the bombs where could they run? I saw some poor lads crying and others, on their knees, praying. In the prevailing mood of many of the men it was common to see groups of soldiers being led by a Padre, in prayer.29

  Many men were reassured and comforted on the beaches of Dunkirk as they turned to God both individually and in small groups. In the midst of this chaotic and dangerous ordeal these soldiers were able to go to a quiet place inside, where God always waits. We don’t know how each prayer was answered, but we do know that each man was touched in some way and strengthened by God’s presence. This is God’s promise to each of us: if we call out to him, he will listen, and he will be there for us in every crisis.

  Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

  —Hebrews 4:16

  January 19

  Calm in the Storm

  Twenty-one-year-old Pilot Officer John Beard was flying his Hurricane fighter at 15,000 feet, waiting for an attacking formation of enemy bombers and fighters to appear. Suddenly, his flight leader called out that he had them in sight. From a distance the other aircraft seemed like an unusual cloud formation, at first quite beautiful. Then, as they drew closer, the details began to stand out:

  I could see the bright yellow noses of Messerschmitt fighters sandwiching the bombers, and could even pick out some of the types. The sky seemed full of them, packed in layers thousands of feet deep. They came on steadily, wavering up and down along the horizon. “Oh, golly,” I thought, “golly, golly…”

  And then any tension I had felt on the way suddenly left me. I was elated but very calm. I leaned over and switched on my reflector sight, flicked the catch on the gun button from “Safe” to “Fire,” and lowered my seat till the circle and dot on the reflector sight shone darkly red in front of my eyes.

  The squadron leader’s voice came through the earphones, giving tactical orders. We swung round in a great circle to attack on their beam into the thick of them. Then, on the order, down we went. I took my hand from the throttle lever so as to get both hands on the stick, and my thumb played neatly across the gun button. You have to steady a fighter just as you have to steady a rifle before you fire it.30

  I doubt that all pilots were so calm going into combat. But it is surely a priceless ability to be able to quiet oneself in the midst of chaos. Some are able to accomplish this through the force of their own will power. Whether you and I have that capability is an interesting question. Fortunately, we know that we don’t have to rely on our own resources in times of trouble. Christians are blessed with knowledge of the sure path to inner tranquility in all situations. When we place our trust in Jesus Christ, we are assured of the most lasting and perfect peace possible to human beings.

  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

  —Philippians 4:7

  January 20

  Instinct

  John Beard found himself in the midst of a swirling melee of fighters and bombers. At one point a German Dornier 17 flew across his path followed by a pursuing Hurricane. Behind the Hurricane came two Messerschmitts. With a kick of his rudder he lined up on the German fighters, thumbed his gun button, and opened fire.

  The first burst was placed just the right distance ahead of the leading Messerschmitt. He ran slap into it and he simply came to pieces in the air. His companion, with one of the speediest and most brilliant ‘get outs’ I have ever seen, went right away in a half Immelmann turn. I missed him completely.

  At that moment some instinct made me glance up at my rear-view mirror and spot two Messerschmitts closing in on my tail. Instantly I hauled back on the stick and streaked upward. And just in time. For as I flicked into the climb, I saw, the tracer streaks pass beneath me.31

  Checking his cockpit, Beard saw that his fuel supply and ammunition were low. He knew that he couldn’t take on two enemy fighters. At that point, however, the Messerschmitts broke off their attack and turned for home. A flood of relief washed over him as he put his nose down and did the same thing.

  A religious person might attribute this flash of “instinct” to God’s saving grace. A skeptic would undoubtedly chalk it up to good luck. As a former skeptic I can understand the latter attitude. In thinking about my experiences in combat, I have wondered about the amazing extent of my own good luck. Did God intervene on my behalf? I can’t prove it to a skeptic, but I believe earnestly that he did. I thank God daily for watching over me in the past and for keeping my family and me safe through all the dangers we face now. The question for me is no longer Has God saved me? but Why has he done so? And what should I be doing in response to this amazing grace?

  Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever.

  —Psalm 100:4–5

  January 21

  Trust Your Instruments

  Hugh Godefroy was one of my great heroes: a Spitfire pilot during World War II. In 1940 he was an engineering student at Toronto University. He left school to volunteer for the Royal Canadian Air Force and to join the air battle in defense of England. Early in his training he encountered the difficulty of flying in clouds with no horizon or other outside reference points.

  One day I spent doing nothing but cloud flying. We had to master the technique of fighting the vertigo which plagues pilots flying on instruments.

  In the early days often I found myself sweating. I felt as though I were spinning in a spiral dive. One had to say to himself, ‘The instruments are right, and I am wrong.’ Finally I would break cloud, and find to my great relief that I was flying straight and level. We never worried in England at that time over what else might be flying in the same cloud. We never gave it a thought.32 In the early days of aviation, pilots had to fly “by the seat their pants.” There were no instruments to guide them. Now there are myriad devices that enable flight in darkness or clouds without visual references. Like most pilots I have experienced the overwhelming sensation while flying on instruments that the aircraft was doing something totally different from what the instruments were telling me. It became a struggle between my feelings and my knowledge of what was correct.

  In our daily lives, our “instruments” are God’s words as revealed in the Bible. Sometimes biblical instructions are also counterintuitive. Jesus’ entire Sermon on the Mount is a departure from what then was considered ‘conventional’ wisdom. Even when our hearts attempt to steer us in the wrong direction, we must instead move in the direction God provides in his Word.

  You have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven.

  —Matthew 5:43

  British Spitfire fighter. (Imperial War Museum, E(MOS) 1348)

  Children in London after bombing. (National Archives)

  January 22

  Superstition

  As a Spitfire pilot with combat experience, Hugh Godefroy took some pride in his lack of superstition. He summed up his own attitude: “I was not superstitious, and finding someone
who was, had always made me want to prove them wrong.” One day he was preparing for a patrol over enemy territory. One of his fellow pilots pointed out that it was the 13th of the month, also reminding him that he had been hit several times before on that day. In spite of his disdain for such thinking, he was suddenly struck with a mortal fear that he had never before experienced. For the entire mission he flew with a sense of dread. He unaccountably kept repeating the only prayer that he could remember: “Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep.”

  When a group of enemy fighters attacked, he suddenly found himself flying and fighting for his life. He fatalistically resolved to sell himself dearly. Finally, grey with strain, nauseated, and out of ammunition, he sensed the end. With a Focke-Wulf 190 still on his tail, he turned for England, straightened out, and closed his eyes. After waiting for what seemed an eternity, he opened his eyes to see the enemy aircraft beside him, the other pilot looking over. After a few seconds the German broke off and headed back to France. Alone, on the ground, sitting in his cockpit, Hugh surveyed the holes in his damaged Spitfire and contemplated the folly of his own emotions. He resolved never again to let a superstitious reaction take over in the cockpit.33