亲爱的英国老家(DEAR OLD BLIGHTY)
英国与欧洲大陆隔海相望,由于战争爆发,大陆国家在德国军事力量面前倒台,英国处于一个不同寻常的尴尬境地。虽然从技术上讲,上一次入侵她的岛屿发生在将近900年前,但每个人都清楚,在现代机械化战争的今天,岛屿堡垒可能不再像以前那样坚不可摧。
(Separated from mainland Europe by the sea, Britain is in an unusual and awkward position as war breaks out and the Continental nations topple before Germany’s military might. Although the last invasion of her islands had, technically, taken place almost 900 years previously, everyone is well aware that in these days of modern, mechanised warfare, the island fortress may no longer be quite as impregnable as it once was.)
1922
十一月(NOVEMBER)
英国广播公司第一次从伦敦广播。
(The BBC transmits its first radio broadcast from London.)
1928
蒙塔格·萨默斯牧师出版了《马利菲卡鲁姆》的第一本英文译本。
(The Reverend Montague Summers publishes the first English translation of the Malleus Maleficarum.)
1930
弗兰克惠特尔提交了他的第一个涡轮喷气发动机专利。他在1937年有了第一个原型。
(Frank Whittle submits his first patent for the turbo-jet engine. He has the first prototype running by 1937.)
1931
十二月(DECEMBER)
随着威斯敏斯特法令的签署,大英帝国正式成为英联邦。这使得许多前殖民地建立了自治,同时保留了英国的主权。
(The British Empire formally becomes the British Commonwealth with the signing of the Statute of Westminster. This enables many former colonial territories to establish self-rule whilst retaining British sovereignty.)
1932
奥斯瓦尔德莫斯利创立了英国法西斯联盟(BUF),也被称为黑衫军。
(Oswald Mosley founds the British Union of Fascists (BUF), also known as the Blackshirts.)
1933
“国家”电网作为中央电力局建立。不过由于供应不全无法复盖全国。
(The “National” Grid for electricity supply is established as the Central Electricity Board. However, the supply is patchy and does not cover the whole country.)
建议的方案样式(Suggested Scenario Styles)
以英国为基地的战役可能涉及“温馨戏剧”、间谍活动、秘密搜救任务、民防以及打击渗透的敌方特工或难以形容的邪教的行动。
(British-based campaigns are likely to involve “cosy drama”, espionage, clandestine retrieval missions, civil defence, and operations against infiltrating enemy agents or unspeakable cults.)
1936
英国开始从东南开始,最终复盖整个东海岸,建立“链家测距与定向”(RDF)站网。 1940年法国沦陷后,该网络开始复盖西海岸和北爱尔兰。
(Britain begins building the Chain Home Range and Direction Finding (RDF) station network, starting in the southeast and eventually covering the whole of the east coast. The network is rolled out to cover the west coast and Northern Ireland after the Fall of France in 1940.)
十月(OCTOBER)
大萧条导致该镇的工业崩溃后,失业的工人从贾罗前往伦敦,突显了东北劳动力的困境。
(Unemployed workers march from Jarrow to London to highlight the plight of the northeast labour force after the town’s industry collapses as a result of the Great Depression.)
十一月(NOVEMBER)
英国广播公司电视台从伦敦的亚历山德拉皇宫开始定期广播,扩大了1932年开始的有限服务。在1939年战争爆发时,广播暂停。
(BBC Television begins regular broadcasting from Alexandra Palace, London, expanding a limited service which began in 1932. Broadcasting is suspended at the outbreak of war in 1939.)
十二月(DECEMBER)
在英国议会拒绝批准爱德华八世与美国离婚者沃利斯·辛普森的婚姻后,这位风度翩翩、人气很高的爱德华八世国王在仅仅统治了11个月后就放弃了英国王位。他弟弟勉强成为乔治六世国王。
(The debonair and highly popular King Edward VIII abdicates the British throne having ruled for only eleven months, after Parliament refuses to sanction his marriage to American divorcée Wallis Simpson. His brother reluctantly becomes King George VI.)
1937
空袭预防(ARP)管理员作为志愿者被激活。“Sellotape”在英国发行,随着时间的推移,它的名字成为了胶带的代名词。
(Air Raid Precautions (ARP) wardens are activated as a volunteer force. “Sellotape” is released in Britain, its name becoming synonymous over time with adhesive tape in general.)
1938
约翰·安德森爵士展示了这个以他自己命名的防空洞;由于免费给予年收入低于一定水平的家庭,且在1941年因金属短缺而停止生产。哈利·普莱斯复兴了幽灵俱乐部,成为一个讨论超自然遭遇的晚餐会。
(Sir John Anderson reveals the eponymous air raid shelter; given free to families earning under a certain annual income, production ceases in 1941 due to metal shortages. Harry Price revives the Ghost Club as a dinner society for discussing supernatural encounters.)
三月(MARCH)
D区是由秘密情报局(SIS)设立的,以进行破坏和宣传活动。它位于伦敦大都会酒店。
(Section D is established by the Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) to carry out sabotage and propaganda activities. It is housed in the Metropole Hotel, London.)
五月(MAY)
妇女志愿服务组织(WVS)是由雷丁的马尔基翁·斯特拉·伊萨克斯创立的。
(The Women’s Voluntary Service (WVS) is founded by Stella Isaacs, Marchioness of Reading.)
九月(SEPTEMBER)
形成了辅助本土防卫义勇军服务(ATS)。 急救护理业(FANY)被要求成立ATS的汽车驾驶员公司。 总理内维尔·张伯伦(Neville Chamberlain)在慕尼黑危机后从德国回国时发表了“我们时代的和平”演讲。
(The Auxiliary Territorial Service (ATS) is formed. The First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY) is asked to set up the ATS’ Motor Drivers Company. Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain delivers his “Peace for Our Time” speech on his return from Germany after the Munich Crisis.)
十月(OCTOBER)
《图片邮报》周刊第一版由Hulton出版社出版。
(The first edition of the weekly photo-magazine Picture Post is published by Hulton Press.)
1939
艾伦·图灵基于较早的波兰解密机设计了Bombe,以加快对Enigma编码消息的破解。 所得税提高了数倍,以为战争筹集资金。
(Alan Turing designs the Bombe, based on an earlier Polish deciphering machine, to speed up the cracking of Enigma-encoded messages. Income tax rises several times to raise funds for the war effort.)
三月(APRIL)
对20至22岁的男子实行有限征兵制。
(Limited conscription is introduced for men aged between twenty and twenty-two.)
夏季(SUMMER)
英国无线电协会和无线电安全局(RSS或MI8c)成立了自愿拦截者组织(VI),这是一个业余无线电爱好者组织,负责拦截敌方发射信号,以支持官方Y站网络。孕妇、儿童、母亲和教师开始从城镇非正式撤离。
(The Radio Society of Great Britain and the Radio Security Service (RSS or MI8c) set up the Voluntary Interceptors (VI), a group of amateur radio enthusiasts charged with intercepting enemy transmissions in support of the official Y-station network. The unofficial evacuation of pregnant women, children, their mothers, and teachers from towns and cities begins.)
六月(JUNE)
20至21岁的英国男子被要求登记参军。民防演习开始。组建了女子辅助空军(WAAF),组建了女子陆军(WLA)。
(British men aged twenty to twenty-one years of age are asked to register for the armed forces. Civil Defence exercises begin. The Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) is formed, as is the Women’s Land Army (WLA).)
七月(JULY)
英国皇家海军女兵部队(俗称鹪鹩)在一战结束时解散,现在进行了改革。
(The Women’s Royal Naval Service (colloquially known as the Wrens) is reformed, having been disbanded at the end of World War One.)
八月(AUGUST)
X站设在白金汉郡布莱奇利公园。大众观察项目要求英国人以日记的形式记录他们的日常生活。观察员部队被动员起来。
(Station X is established at Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire. The Mass Observation project asks British people to record their daily lives in diary format. The Observer Corps is mobilised.)
M区位于大都会酒店,与D区所住的套房相邻。
(Section M is established in the Metropole Hotel in a suite adjacent to the one occupied by Section D.)
九月(SEPTEMBER)
1日:停电开始。2日:国民服务法允许征募18至41岁的英国男子,这些男子因其职业不能免除兵役。3日:当晚一场可怕的风暴袭击了英格兰北部,张伯伦宣布了可怕的消息英国处于战争状态。8日:成立了食品部。29日:全国身份证、口粮登记日。英国欺骗战争的开始。为迎接德国轰炸,150万人正式撤离各大城市。防毒面具分发给大多数平民,但不是所有人。汽油配给开始了。空军部制定了一系列诱饵策略,以保护机场免受德国轰炸机的攻击,即所谓的Q和R基地。朋友的救护队(FAU)进行了改革。
(1st: the Blackout begins. 2nd: the National Service Act enables the conscription of British men aged between eighteen and forty-one who are not exempt from military service as a result of their occupation. 3rd: a terrific storm hits the north of England on the evening of the day Chamberlain makes the dreaded announcement that Britain is at war. 8th: the Ministry of Food is established. 29th: the National Registration Day for ID cards and ration books takes place. The beginning of the Phoney War in Britain. The official evacuation of 1.5 million people from the major cities in anticipation of German bombing begins. Gas masks are distributed to most civilians, but not all. Petrol rationing begins. The Air Ministry develops a series of decoy strategies to protect airfields from German bombers, the so-called Q- and R-sites. The Friends’ Ambulance Unit (FAU) is reformed.)
十月(OCTOBER)
农业部开展“挖潜求胜”活动。M区位于大都会酒店,与D区相邻的套房内,他们将与D区密切合作。
(The Ministry of Agriculture launches the “Dig for Victory” campaign. Section M is established in the Metropole Hotel, in a suite adjacent to the one occupied by Section D, with whom they will be working closely.)
英镑、先令和便士(Pounds, Shillings & Pence)
与法国、德国和美国不同的是,英国的货币不采用十进制,这让游客们很困惑。
(Unlike France, Germany, and the United States, British currency does not operate under a decimal system, much to the confusion of visitors.)
1英镑=20先令(s)=240便士(d)
(£1 = 20 shillings (s) = 240 pence (d))
如果某物的价格为1英镑、6先令和2便士(图便士),则写为 £1 6s 2d
(If something costs one pound, six shillings, and two pence (tuppence), it is written as £1 6s 2d)
十二月(DECEMBER)
第一批加拿大军队抵达英国。英国政府开始拘留敌国外来人,最初是德国人,后来是意大利人,包括难民;许多人被安置在马恩岛。到1942年夏天,大多数低风险的敌国外来人已经被释放。对基本食品实行价格管制,以防止通货膨胀和牟取暴利。
(The first Canadian troops arrive in the UK. The British government begins the internment of enemy aliens, initially German and then Italian, including refugees; many are housed on the Isle of Man. By the summer of 1942, most low-risk enemy aliens have been released. Price controls are introduced on basic foodstuffs to prevent inflation and profiteering.)
1940
为儿童设立的收获营是为了帮助那些劳动力短缺的农民。由于夏秋两季异常温和,收成格外好。“徒步旅行者”开始在郊外、林地和公园睡觉,在那里他们感到安全,免受炸弹袭击的威胁。所得税又增加了。由于战争的功劳,失业几乎被消除了。非战斗部队成立了。
(Harvest camps for children are instituted to help farmers suffering from manpower shortages. Harvests are exceptionally good due to an incredibly clement summer and autumn. “Trekkers” begin to sleep outdoors in the countryside, woodlands, and parks where they feel safe from the threat of bombing raids. Income tax increases again. Unemployment is virtually eliminated thanks to the war effort. The Non-Combatant Corps is formed.)
一月(JANUARY)
食物配给从培根、黄油和糖开始。
(Food rationing begins with bacon, butter, and sugar.)
二月(FEBRUARY)
“无聊谈话花费生命”活动开始。 建立了民用航空运输辅助设备(ATA),用于将飞机往返于飞机场,生产厂和维修店。
(The “Careless Talk Costs Lives” campaign begins. The civilian Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) is established to transport aircraft to and from airfields, production plants, and repair shops.)
三月(MARCH)
肉类配给开始。 现在,向每位英国公民颁发防毒面具,法律要求人们时刻携带防毒面具。 由英国制表机械公司制造的第一个工作中的Bombe,被称为“胜利”,被交付给布莱奇利公园。 戈登·韦尔奇曼后来的修改提高了整体效率。
(Meat rationing begins. Gas masks are now issued to every British citizen, which people are legally required to carry at all times. The first working Bombe, built by the British Tabulating Machine Company, and known as Victory, is delivered to Bletchley Park. Gordon Welchman’s later modifications improve overall efficiency.)
四月(APRIL)
英国开始了它命运多舛的挪威战役。战时社会调查开始了;上门拉票的人很快就在新闻界赢得了“库珀的窥探者”的绰号,仅次于现任信息部长达夫·库珀,不管他们为哪个机构工作。
(Britain begins its ill-fated Norwegian campaign. The Wartime Social Survey begins; door-to-door canvassers soon earn the nickname “Cooper’s Snoopers” in the press, after current Minister of Information Duff Cooper, no matter which agency they work for.)
“狂野”杰克·霍华德(“Wild” Jack Howard)
查尔斯·亨利·乔治·霍华德,伯克郡第13伯爵,萨福克20伯爵(1906-1941)。 这位富有冒险精神的年轻贵族从皇家海军学院逃离,加入了商船海军,并在返回前,先行返回,然后以AVEC鹦鹉的身份加入苏格兰卫队。 由于其粗鲁的行为和多姿多彩的语言而被要求离开,杰克启程前往澳大利亚。 下次返回时,他就读于爱丁堡大学,随后获得化学和药理学学位。 这有助于确保他在供应部的职位以及他在巴黎的职位(请参阅第27页),在那里他获得了两个大型手枪,亲切地称为珍妮弗和奥斯卡,随身携带
(Charles Henry George Howard, 13th Earl of Berkshire, 20th Earl of Suffolk (1906-1941). The adventurous young nobleman runs away from the Royal Naval College to join the Merchant Navy and travels widely before returning, avec parrot, to join the Scots Guards. Asked to leave because of his rowdy behaviour and colourful language, Jack sets sail for Australia. Upon his next return, he enrols at Edinburgh University, later graduating in chemistry and pharmacology. This helps to secure him a position at the Ministry of Supply and his posting to Paris (see p.27), where he acquires two large pistols, known affectionately as Genevieve and Oscar, which he carries with him everywhere)
五月(MAY)
当张伯伦因挪威竞选失败而辞职时,温斯顿·丘吉尔就任总理。 战争大臣安东尼·伊登宣布组建地方防卫志愿者(LDV)。 BUF被禁止,其领导层被逮捕; 奥斯瓦尔德·莫斯利被监禁。 减少黄油和糖的摄入量。 战争农业执行委员会(War Ag)开始对每个英国农场进行调查,以确定需要采取哪些措施来供应该国的粮食。 26日:举行国庆祈祷日,应丘吉尔的要求,乔治六世国王要求举行全国祈祷日。
(Winston Churchill becomes Prime Minister when Chamberlain resigns as a result of the failure of the Norwegian campaign. Anthony Eden, Secretary of State for War, announces the formation of the Local Defence Volunteers (LDV). The BUF is banned and its leadership arrested; Oswald Mosley is imprisoned. Butter and sugar rations are reduced. The War Agricultural Executive Committee (War Ag) begins a survey of every British farm to establish what measures will be needed to supply the nation’s food. 26th: a National Day of Prayer takes place, called for by King George VI at Churchill’s request.)
六月(JUNE)
外国人和其他尚未被困的无国籍人士,将受到每晚宵禁的管制,必须在晚上10:30至凌晨6点之间停留; 敌对国人也必须交出无线电(无线电设备)。 杰克·霍华德在河滨的办公室里成立了炸弹处理研究小组。 整个英国都撤下了路标,以确保对任何潜在的入侵力量陷入混乱。 政府禁止敲响教堂的钟声,除非作为入侵的信号。 赛马会宣布停止赛马。 18日:丘吉尔的“光辉时刻”演讲。 30日:德国入侵海峡群岛,这是战争期间不列颠群岛唯一被占领的部分。
(Aliens, and other stateless persons not already interred, are subject to a nightly curfew and must remain inside between the hours of 10.30PM and 6AM; enemy aliens must also surrender their wirelesses (radio sets). Jack Howard sets up his bomb disposal research team, working from an office in the Strand. Signposts are taken down all over Britain to ensure confusion for any potential invasion force. The Government bans the ringing of church bells except as a signal of invasion. The Jockey Club announces an end to horse racing. 18th: Churchill’s “Finest Hour” speech. 30th: Germany invades the Channel Islands, the only part of the British Isles to be occupied during the conflict.)
七月(JULY)
茶叶开始定量供应;人造黄油也开始定量供应。禁止放风筝和气球,也禁止燃放烟花。罢工行动变得非法。休道尔顿成立了特别行动执行官(SOE),并进入贝克街与他的“非正规”。LDV被重新命名为英国地方军。大不列颠空战开始了。
(Tea rationing begins; margarine also becomes rationed. The flying of kites and balloons is banned, as is the use of fireworks. Strike action becomes illegal. Hugh Dalton forms the Special Operations Executive (SOE), and moves into Baker Street with his “Irregulars”. The LDV is renamed the Home Guard. The Battle of Britain begins.)
没有什么能比得上一杯…(Nothing Like A Nice Cuppa...)
如果说有一件事是英国人的典型,那就是他们对茶的热爱信息部甚至认为最好的空袭治疗方法就是一杯好茶。我们在这里谈论的不是那些在英国几乎闻所未闻的茶包,而是用一个合适的茶壶冲泡的好的、老式的散叶茶
(If one thing typifies the British, it is their love of tea—the Ministry of Information even thinks that the best cure for an air raid is a good cup of char. And we are not talking tea bags here—those are virtually unheard of in Britain at this time—but good, old-fashioned loose-leaf tea, brewed in a proper teapot)
八月(AUGUST)
浪费食物正式成为犯罪。13日:德国空军开始试图摧毁英国皇家空军,作为入侵的前奏。在伦敦的樱草山,有进取心的小伙子们把望远镜出租给观光者,这样他们就能更好地看到头顶上正在进行的激烈的空中战斗。21日:丘吉尔发表了“人类战争历史中,从没有”的演讲。24日:一架单独的德国空军轰炸机意外将炸弹落在伦敦。
(Wasting food officially becomes a crime. 13th: the Luftwaffe begins its attempts to destroy the RAF as a prelude to invasion. Enterprising chaps on Primrose Hill, London, rent out telescopes to sightseers so they can get a better view of the pitched aerial battles going on overhead. 21st: Churchill’s “Never in the Field of Human Conflict” speech. 24th: a lone Luftwaffe bomber accidentally drops its payload on London.)
译注:完整原文为:在人类战争史上,从来也没有一次像这样,以如此少的兵力,取得如此大的成功,保护如此多的众生。
九月(SEPTEMBER)
7日:伦敦轰炸,又称伦敦大轰炸,开始了。第二个全国祈祷日被组织起来。15日:不列颠空战到了尾声,随后进行海上封锁。白金汉宫在国王和王后居住期间遭到轰炸;国王和臣民之间令人担忧的关系因此开始缓和。国王创造了乔治十字勋章和乔治勋章来表彰平民的勇敢。
(7th: the London Blitz, also known as the Big Blitz, begins. A second National Day of Prayer is organised. 15th: the aerial Battle of Britain ends, to be followed by a naval blockade. Buckingham Palace is bombed when the King and Queen are in residence; the fraught relationship between the King and his subjects begins to ease as a result. The King creates the George Cross and the George Medal to recognise civilian bravery.)
十一月(NOVEMBER)
考文垂在月光奏鸣曲行动中遭到轰炸。
(Coventry is bombed in Operation Moonlight Sonata.)
十二月(DECEMBER)
布里斯托尔遭到德国空军的猛烈轰炸。节礼日这个银行假日被取消。
(Bristol is heavily bombed by the Luftwaffe. The Boxing Day Bank Holiday is cancelled.)
译注:银行假日就是英国的公众假日,名称来源于银行关门休息的假日。
1941
政府引入了“战争武器周”,以此筹集资金来装备武装部队。 所得税还有更多增加。
(War Weapons Weeks are introduced by the Government as a way to raise funds for equipping the armed forces. There are yet more income tax increases.)
三月(MARCH)
奶酪,果酱和果酱变得可口。 劳工和国民服务部部长欧内斯特·贝文发布了基本工作命令,该命令要求技术工人向政府注册,以限制因征兵和志愿服务而造成的技术人员短缺。 介绍了用于房屋内部的莫里森避难所,并以内政大臣赫伯特莫里森的名字命名。 一家针对流亡者的德语报纸《时代杂志》开始在伦敦出版。由英国皇家空军在德国上空空投简略版本。
(Cheese, jam, and conserves become rationed. Ernest Bevin, Minster for Labour and National Service, issues the Essential Work Order, which requires skilled workers to register with the government in an attempt to limit skill shortages caused by conscription and volunteering. Morrison shelters, for use inside the home, and named after the Home Secretary Herbert Morrison, are introduced. Die Zeitung, a German language newspaper aimed at exiles, begins publishing in London; abridged versions are air-dropped over Germany by the RAF)
四月(APRIL)
根据租借法案组织的首批食品运输抵达英国。观察团成为皇家观察团(ROC)。
(The first food shipments organised under the Lend-Lease Bill arrive in Britain. The Observer Corps becomes the Royal Observer Corps (ROC).)
五月(MAY)
杰克·霍华德和他的团队在伦敦附近的厄里斯沼泽的炸弹墓地里解除了“老忠实泉”的引信。 尽管在整个战争期间炸弹不断下落,但伦敦大轰炸已经正式结束。消防已收归国有。
(Jack Howard is killed, along with his team, defusing “Old Faithful” in the bomb graveyard at Erith Marshes, near London. The Blitz officially ends, although bombs continue to fall on and off throughout the conflict. Fire services are nationalised.)
译注:Old Faithful是黄石公园的那个老忠实泉,是用来作为定时炸弹的代称,一方面是老忠实泉喷发的间隔非常准,用来代指定时炸弹,另一方面是因为老忠实泉的喷泉形状很像炸弹爆炸的云雾。
六月(JUNE)
衣服、家具和煤被添加到配给物品列表中。
(Clothes, furniture, and coal are added to the list of rationed items.)
八月(AUGUST)
政府接管了国家铁路的运营。
(The government takes over the running of the country’s railways.)
九月(SEPTEMBER)
政府推出实用服装是为了控制织物短缺(第15页)。
(Utility clothing is introduced by the Government in an attempt to control fabric shortages (p.15).)
十二月(DECEMBER)
《国民服务法(2)》允许19至30岁的未婚和后来结婚的英国妇女被征召参加战争工作。对某些项目实行积分配给。
(The National Service Act (2) enables unmarried and, later, married, British women aged nineteen to thirty to be called up for war work. Points rationing is introduced for certain items.)
1942
牛津饥荒救济委员会(Oxfam)的成立是为了帮助遭受德国占领的希腊妇女和儿童。 尼龙袜在英国有售,尽管时间很短。 女子木材军团(WTC)与WLA分开。
(The Oxford Committee for Famine Relief (Oxfam) is founded to help Greek women and children suffering under German occupation. Nylon stockings become available in the UK, albeit briefly. The Women’s Timber Corps (WTC) separates from the WLA.)
一月(JANUARY)
第一批美国大兵们抵达英国。
(The first American GIs arrive in the UK.)
二月(FEBRUARY)
肥皂配给开始。 复杂的积分系统使人们可以改变购买的商品来满足各种家庭需求。
(Soap rationing begins. A complex point system enables people to vary what they can buy to cover a variety of household requirements.)
三月(MARCH)
能源配给范围扩大到了天然气和电力。
(Fuel rationing is extended to cover gas and electricity.)
四月(APRIL)
为了报复英国皇家空军对吕贝克的轰炸,德国空军开始对历史悠久但以非战略为主的英国城镇发动拜德克空袭。他们是以贝德克的英国旅游指南命名的,据称这些目标是根据他们的星级选择的。突袭行动持续到6月。
(The Luftwaffe begins the Baedeker raids against historic but predominantly non-strategic English towns and cities in retaliation for the RAF’s bombing of Lübeck. They are named after Baedeker’s Tourist Guide to Great Britain, from which the targets are allegedly chosen by their star rating. The raids last until June.)
“嗯,我不能说这是最讨人喜欢的衣服,但它很暖和,也很结实。它也不需要一只胳膊和一条腿,至少它不是二手货。我想现在必须这样做。”
(“Well, I can’t say that it’s the most flattering of clothing, but it’s warm and pretty sturdy. It doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, either and at least it’s not second-hand. I suppose it will have to do, for now.”)
—玛吉,伦敦,1941年10月。
(—Maggie, London, October 1941)
入乡随俗(Entering the Vernacular)
像许多工业城镇一样,考文垂也因其对战争的重要性而遭受重创。由于德国空军试图消灭当地的制造业单位,这个城镇几乎在一夜之间就被燃烧弹摧毁。德国的宣传机器甚至铸造了一个新的动词“考文垂”,这是一种通过燃烧炸弹摧毁一座城市来庆祝的行为。当英国皇家空军和美国空军在战争后期开始对德国城市进行全面轰炸时,他们就停止使用它。
(Like many industrial towns and cities, Coventry suffers badly because of its importance to the war effort. The town is virtually destroyed in a single night by incendiary bombs as the Luftwaffe attempts to eradicate local manufacturing units. The German propaganda machine even coins a new verb—“Coventrieren”, the act of devastating a city by firebombing—to celebrate. They stop using it when the RAF and USAAF begin blanket-bombing German cities later in the war.)
七月(JULY)
美国陆军航空兵(USAAF)开始抵达英国。糖果配给开始了。
(The United States Army Air Force (USAAF) begins arriving in Britain. Sweet rationing begins.)
八月(AUGUST)
饼干配给开始。
(Biscuit rationing begins.)
每天做一件使到自己害怕的事情.—埃莉诺·罗斯福
十月(OCTOBER)
埃莉诺·罗斯福抵达英国进行为期三周的访问,视察美英军队。
(Eleanor Roosevelt arrives in Britain for a three week visit to inspect American and British troops.)
十一月(NOVEMBER)
美国军人俱乐部“彩虹角”在伦敦沙夫茨伯里大街的拐角处开业。
(The American Servicemen’s Club, “Rainbow Corner”, opens on the corner of Shaftesbury Avenue, London.)
1943
为帮助农民,设立了成人丰收营;每个参与者进行两周的带薪劳动,晚上的娱乐活动由全国娱乐服务协会(ENSA)提供。介绍了实用家具目录,旨在做的家具节目做了服装。迪金动物勇敢勋章是由人民兽医药房(PDSA)的创始人玛丽·迪金介绍的。
(Harvest camps for adults are instituted to help farmers; each participant carries out two weeks paid labour, with evening entertainment provided by the Entertainments National Service Association (ENSA). The Utility Furniture Catalogue is introduced, aiming to do for furniture what the programme did for clothing. The Dickin Medal for animal bravery is introduced by the founder of the People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA), Marie Dickin.)
三月(MARCH)
托米·弗劳尔斯是多利斯山邮局研究实验室的工程师,他开始设计“巨人”,这是第一台可编程的电子数字计算机,以加速破解德国洛伦兹电子密码机:金枪鱼。
(Tommy Flowers, an engineer at the Post Office Research Labs at Dollis Hill, begins design work on Colossus, the first programmable electronic digital computer, to speed up cracking of the German Lorenz teleprinter cipher, Tunny.)
四月(APRIL)
少数妇女被允许作为“提名妇女”正式加入英国国民军。
(A small number of women are permitted to officially join the Home Guard as “Nominated Women”.)
十二月(DECEMBER)
贝文男孩:48000名年龄在18岁到25岁之间的英国应征入伍者被派往地下,而不是前线,以弥补煤矿工人的长期短缺。
(Bevin Boys: 48,000 British conscripts between the ages of eighteen and twenty-five are sent underground rather than to the frontline to make up for a chronic shortage of coal miners.)
1944
由于英国开始实行现收现付(PAYE)税制,有资格纳税的人数大幅增加。海伦·邓肯成为英国现行反巫术法律下最后一个受审的人。
(The Pay As You Earn (PAYE) tax system is introduced in Britain due to the huge increase in the number of those eligible to pay tax. Helen Duncan becomes the last person tried under the existing British laws against witchcraft.)
一月(JANUARY)
巨人马克一号成功地完成了它在X站(更为出名称呼是布莱奇利公园)的第一次试运行,仅仅在一个月前到达目的。工业区的“小闪电战”开始了,持续到3月份。
(Colossus Mark I successfully completes its first test run at Station X (better known as Bletchley Park), having arrived only a month earlier. The “Little Blitz” of industrial areas begins, lasting until March.)
四月(APRIL)
所有出国旅行在英国全面禁止。
(All overseas travel from Britain is banned.)
六月(JUNE)
很快被英国公众昵称为“狮蚁”的V1导弹,开始落在伦敦(垃圾屋行动)。
(V1 bombs, quickly nicknamed “doodlebugs” by the British public, begin falling on London (Operation Junk Room).)
译注:原文为:【Operation Junk Room】,我没有找到对应名称的行动。
九月(SEPTEMBER)
另一个全国祈祷日是在战争五周年纪念日举行的。V2火箭向伦敦发射。灯火管制正式降级为“半灯光管制”。
(Another National Day of Prayer is held on the fifth anni-versary of the war. V2 rockets are fired on London. The Blackout is officially downgraded to the “Dim-Out”.)
十二月(DECEMBER)
英国国民军正式解散。
(The Home Guard is officially stood down.)
1945
四月(APRIL)
英国终于取消了灯火管制。
(The Blackout is finally lifted in Britain.)