Jeremy Crang of the University of Edinburgh, U.K., delivered an address to students and the faculty in the UC Crest room Tuesday.
His speech represented the 11th Annual Charles W. Johnson Lecture, hosted by the UT Center for the Study of War and Society. His topic, “Scotland and the Second World War: A Military History,” drew a substantial crowd, so much so that seating was limited.
The audience was first reminded of the purpose of the lecture: to honor Charles W. Johnson.
“I was privileged to be his colleague for a few years,” Vejas Liulevicius, professor in history, said. “He was a gifted teacher and beloved colleague. We are grateful for his vision in terms of studying war and society. As one of his main achievements, he initiated a wide-ranging program to record the accounts of veterans. It is in recognition of vision that this lecture was established in 2000.”
Crang then took the podium to recount his nation’s contribution to the U.K.’s efforts in World War II.
“Scotland made a huge contribution to the British war effort,” Crang said. “They managed to maintain their own identity during the war and drew on the pugnacious reputation of their race. The wartime efforts of the Scots inspired future regiments of the British Army.”
He provided an anecdote to frame his remarks.
“I would like to begin my story before noon in 1939,” Crang said. “It was then that several German fighters flew in loose formation to attack a Scottish base near Glasgow. Several squadrons were sent out to intercept them. The important point here is that Scottish men took down the first German planes over the United Kingdom.”
He said Scottish resources were key in supporting the war effort.
“Not only did Scottish industry build a fourth of England’s naval capacity, the Singer sewing machine factory was integral in producing tank treads, guns and ammunitions,” Crang said. “A third of the workforce in Scotland was devoted to the manufacture of munitions.”
Scotland provided its land to the use of the armed forces as well.
“The west coast of Scotland was a key air strip,” Crang said. “Prestwick air base served as a key air terminal in the defense. The main threat was to the south of England, but to counter invasion, anti-invasion defenses were created along the East Lothian beach and others. The home guard stood waiting to defend the homeland in Scotland. It was said they could detect the movement of German soldiers with the way the grass moved.”
Rugged Scottish terrain was devoted to raising trained forces.
“Scotland also played a role as a training ground, and the highlands specifically were valuable for training non-traditional units,” Crang said. “A network of training schools was set up to train operatives in sabotage. Commandos were active in establishing a training depot in the area, and traditional forces trained here too, such as the British Third Division. They conducted invasion exercises in 1943 and 1944, preparing for V Day.”
Scotland welcomed foreign forces as well.
“Polish military units were housed in Scotland, up to 23,000,” he said.
He also said Naval installments were contained along the nation’s marine areas.
“Scapa Flow served as the home for British naval defense, with additional naval training establishments,” Crang said. “There were 29 naval bases in Scotland by 1942. The H.M.S. Hood and the H.M.S. Prince of Wales, both of which were deployed from Scotland, encountered the Bismark in combat. Also, the H.M.S. Edinburgh departed in 1942 from Scapa Flow on a passage to Damask. She was sunk. Treasure was found aboard her in 1981, and split between the finders and the Soviet and British governments.”
He said Scotland played a critical role in air force support during the war.
“Air operations were important in Scotland as well,” Crang said. “By 1945, there were 95 air fields in Scotland. Squadrons shot down the first aircraft to attack mainland Britain. The plane was called the Humble Heinkel. In addition, German pilots were said to christen areas of Scotland, ‘Suicide Alley.’”
Crang explained how Scottish pilots were key in many of the major battles against Germany.
“Scots were prominent in other regiments that took part in the Battle of Britain. Archie McKellar destroyed 17 German aircraft,” he said. “Another ace was Wallace Cunningham, who flew spitfires and shot down six German aircraft. He crashed in Rotterdam, was a prisoner of war and lived to tell the tale. He was an usher at my wedding.”
The nation suffered greatly in the war effort.
“Over 1200 Scots were killed in Clydebank blitz, with over 25,000 people losing their homes,” Crang said.
In one deceptive move, Crang explained how the British attempted to distract the Germans away from the offensive war front.
“Operation Fortitude was the code name given to lead German forces to deploy away from Normandy Beach,” he said. “Fortitude North was the Scottish part of the plan to distract the Germans into believing an attack would be launched on Norway. Dummy aircraft were scattered around the Northern coast, along with other distractions.”
He said the Highlands unit was affected harshly during the war.
“In the Highlands, there was hardly a family not touched by this loss,” Crang said. “They trained a reinforced division, trained by Douglas Wimberley. He was a passionate highlander, determined to foster Scottish tradition in the regiment. He did his best to preserve the ethnic requirements of his division. He poached many Highlanders from other regiments.”
These troops replaced the famed 51st division.
“The 51st division was then dispatched to North Africa to reinforce Montgomery’s army, fighting against Rommel,” he said. “When the 8th Army launched its offensive, the regiment codenamed its attacks with names of Scottish cities. The troops advanced to the attack, took all of its objective but suffered many casualties. It earned widespread praise for this effort. The division then reorganized.”
The Scottish spirit became famous the world over for its tenacity during the war, Crang said.
“The distinctive Scottish ethos earned it a reputation and holds a law unto itself,” Crang said. “The soldiers felt they were fighting a holy crusade and served to fuel nationalistic tendencies in the nation.”
Crang was educated at Stirling, Oxford and Edinburgh. He now serves as senior lecturer in history at the University of Edinburgh, where he focuses his research on World War II, with a central intensity on Great Britian.
The lecture series is designed to honor the late Charles W. Johnson, who served the history department.
