Andrew Chatterton

If the Germans had beaten Russia and Russia had to surrender, then suddenly the whole might of the German army would turn back on Britain.

So even in 41, 42, when people don't really think about invasion, actually from at that point, at that time,

Britain couldn't relax because there's every reason that the Germans would beat Russia again.

And then suddenly they're not fighting on two fronts anymore.

They could just come back over and look at us.

So that's the auxiliary units.

That's weird.

So you've got the auction.

It's they're blowing stuff up and killing people.

Two week window.

The next group is called the special duties branch and they're recruiting very, very different people.

So they're recruiting the elderly mothers, doctors, vicars, people who could stand in their streets and watch the German army go past and

These guys were all really highly trained in recognition of formations and insignia and weapons and vehicles and direction of travel.

They'd write it down in code, what they'd seen on a piece of rice paper.

and leave it a dead letter drop.

So it might be, a dead letter drop might be something simple as like an OXO cube tin on a window seal or like a loose brick in a graveyard.

But equally, there were fake tree stumps with revolving tops and you'd put the rice paper in like a split tennis ball and then roll it down, it'd roll down to the,

next dead letter drop.

So, and then there'd be runners picking them up from a dead letter drop.

So a runner would know if there was a message in the dead letter drop.