The Second World War Miracles Part 1
The Supernatural Events Resulting From National Prayer
Yes, there were some angels seen in the Second World War, but so far as one can tell, not so dramatically as in
the First World War. It was evident that the main acts of God came after each national day of prayer. There
were seven of these, and I kept a diary record of the events which followed each one.
We will look at the angelic incidents first. During the Second World War, I collected clippings from the
newspapers, which reported manifestations.
Angelic Appearances
The News Chronicle, a national newspaper, reported the vision of
Christ crucified followed by angels in the sky over Sussex. The paper
described it as the strangest event yet of the war and compared it with
the Angels of Mons (see Newspaper cutting Strangest Story of The War
of the Sussex Vision of Christ on the cross attended by angels).
My second cutting is from 1943. It is headed: 'Vicar interprets the
vision in the sky'. A similar vision to the one seen at Lewes 200 miles
away three years earlier had been seen at Ipswich by the Reverend
Harold Green. A report in the Christian Herald at the time said:
Wide publicity was given to the truth of our Lord's return in the London
and provincial press recently when the Rev Harold Green, vicar of St
Nicholas' Church, Ipswich, preached to an over-full church just after a
vision had been seen in the sky by several people in the parish. A white
cross, on which was a figure of Christ, was said to have been seen by
several people quite independently of each other, and the vicar took
the opportunity to proclaim the truth of the coming of Christ and the
setting up of his Kingdom, basing his remarks on Matthew 24 and Luke
21.
My third cutting is from the South London Newspaper, this was
reported on September 8th, 1944, and headed: 'ANGEL' SEEN IN
PECKHAM DURING AIR RAID.
Mr D.L. Phillips said, 'The figure was perfect; there was no mistaking it.'
Mr Halsey says that he was surprised when he looked up into the sky to
see a large angel holding out his arms as if to shield the inhabitants
from flying bombs which were coming over. There were at least eight
others who also saw it.
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Victories after each National Day of Prayer
A Vision in the Sky - Newspaper cutting of Ipswich
vision of Christ on the cross
The big features of the 1939-45 war were the seven
national days of prayer and the dramatic events which
followed each one. They saved Britain from disaster.
My record of these days of prayer as they occurred
from 1940 to 1945 provided the details of each
deliverance or victory which followed. Why did I do
this? Because I knew that it would be useful for
reminding Britain and the world in future years, and
here I am doing it at the age of eighty-five! The fiftieth
anniversary of D-Day was observed without any
mention of those prayer days, when at the call of King and Parliament, the majority of the population crowded
into the churches and overflowed outside, because they knew our position was desperate. The only
acknowledgement so far as I know, was a report I gave on BCC Radio Stoke which they have repeated since,
and on the United Christian Broadcasters' European network, and on Trans World Radio.
Seven National Days of Prayer in Six Years
Of seven separate days of prayer called by King and Parliament in the six years of war, as many as three were
held within the first twelve months because the situation was known to be so desperate. In gratitude for
deliverance after the war, the government passed a law making Christian teaching in schools compulsory. Now
it is difficult to get permission even to mention the name of Christ, and many children lack ethical and moral
teaching. The results in our community life are obvious.
Yes, Britain was in a desperate situation. We were quite unprepared for war and humanly speaking we were
left in an impossible situation. That situation worsened when France fell to the Nazis, and the British Army of
only 350,000 men were hemmed in with backs to the sea at Dunkirk. All the protection that was left in Britain
was a 'Dad's Army practising drill with broomsticks'.
Before calling the nation to the first national Day of Prayer, Winston Churchill said he had, 'Hard and heavy
tidings to announce'. The commander of the British Forces, Lt General Sir Frederick Morgan, said there was no
way out barring a miracle. That miracle happened after the first Day of Prayer. 1. The first National Day of Prayer was called for by King George VI on March 27th, 1940. The miracle
took place during the week following. Most people have heard how the English Channel was
absolutely calm all the days during which thousands of private boats and yachts, including my
father-in-law's boat, went to and fro rescuing from the sands of Dunkirk 338,000 men of the British
Expeditionary Army, leaving only 12,000 sadly to become prisoners or killed. Drama of the Little Boats
The following details are supplied by Lt Commander E. Keble Chatterton:
Things happened quickly; immense possibilities widened. Instead of, perhaps, a lucky 25,000 or so, more than
ten times that number might be saved. But how? It all resulted from a marvel of detailed organisation. Already
the Admiralty had with great foresight given notice that all privately owned motorcraft of 30 to 100 feet in
length were to be at their disposal. So, likewise, by means of a licensing system for all coasting vessels, the
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Ministry of Shipping were kept aware of movements and could lay their hands on suitable vessels almost
instantly. The congregating of a vast improvised fleet numbering nearly 1,000 units therefore was just a matter
of telephoning and telegraphing. Nothing like it had ever been devised. Trawlers, drifters, Thames sailing and
motor barges, little cargo carriers, colliers, motor-boats, motor-yachts, 17 of the Royal National lifeboats, open
skiffs, oared boats from liners, sailing boats from Southend beach usually employed for pleasure parties, tugs
from the Thames, even the six motor bawleys that gather up cockles from the estuary; pleasure paddle
steamers accustomed to ply their trade along the Clyde or at Llandudno, or Margate; one of the LFB fireboats,
steam yachts that were veterans when fighting U-boats in the last war; Dutch schooners and Belgian craft,
swelled this extraordinary list till they numbered 665, in addition to the 222 naval units. Cross-channel
steamers with ample passenger accommodation and high speed, normally carrying from seven to fourteen
deck-hands, now received additional volunteers to man the boats which would have to be used as ferries from
the beach. One amateur yachtsman assisted by his son, sailed his yacht all the way from Southampton to
Dunkirk on his own initiative, and fetched home a batch of tired soldiers.
So then the army was back in Britain having lost their armaments, as helpless as sitting ducks for Hitler.
It was a miracle that Hitler didn't follow up his victory immediately. That first Day of Prayer was followed up by
two more within five months, so within five months we had three national days of prayer, not called by the
Church, but called by the King and Parliament. But did the nation respond as a nation? They did! Hardly
anybody stayed away. The churches and halls were crammed full and overflows outside were sometimes
bigger than the crush inside.
The Cabinet's Words of Encouragement
At this time the war cabinet sought to inform clergy in Britain of the serious situation while at the same time
providing a positive message of hope and encouragement. The first of a series of letters from Duff Cooper at
the Ministry of Information was circulated on 21st June, 1940 advising what Hitler was seeking to do that
autumn and to prepare the congregations to fight 'side by side for the fields and villages and cities that we
love'.
The Second World War Miracles Part 2
Tunbridge Wells Empty!
Resulting from the inspiration of the call to prayer, we have the story of 'The Town That Stood Still'. A local
greengrocer put forward the idea that every shop should close one morning in July 1940 for an hour of
intercession. It received the enthusiastic support of the local Traders' Association so the people of Tunbridge
Wells, as never before in their history, put themselves in God's hands.
Tennis Courts Empty!
2. The second Day of Prayer was on Sunday, August 11th, 1940. This was a national youth call to
prayer. The King had called all the young people to pray. I was walking past a large area of tennis
courts on the way to church. The tennis courts were deserted except for a perplexed young man
holding a tennis racket. He was completely alone.
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'Where have they all gone?' he exclaimed.
'They're all in church praying for national deliverance,' I said. 'Why don't you go!'
'I can't believe this! My pals have never gone to church even once in their lives!'
The Answer
Britain could not know that within the week that followed, the overweight Nazi, Air Field Marshall Goering,
commenced the first stage in the Battle of Britain. It failed. The relatively small British force of Spitfires and
Hurricanes shot down 180 Nazi bombers over South-east England. The rate of interception excelled by far
anything that could be expected or explained by radar, said our air commander. 3. The next national Day of Prayer was only a month later on September 8th, 1940. Calling for another
Day of Prayer so soon showed how desperate Parliament knew the situation to be. The answer again was immediate and it was during this period that people in the streets began to see angels in
the sky. A more determined Nazi air attack was made by sending five fighter planes to accompany every single
bomber during the week following. Yet against all odds, as many as 185 Nazi planes were shot down. It was
sad for us padres to see the empty canteen tables of those who did not return, but they had shot down a far
greater number than our own losses. In fact Air Chief Marshall Dowding said: 'I will say with absolute
conviction that I can trace the intervention of God . . . Humanly speaking victory was impossible!'
And that was during the week following our third National Day of Prayer, and the newspapers were not afraid
to print that statement by Dowding.
Goering, the Nazi commander, expected success and in anticipation Hitler had prepared invasion barges at
Bremen. But I see in my notes taken at the time that a terrific storm in the channel and North Sea blew away
those invasion barges. The result was that the invasion of Britain was postponed. This was vital, for it gave
Britain more time to manufacture armaments to re-equip our depleted forces. Remarkable Guidance for the Fourth Day of Prayer
4. My diary records that the next National Day of Prayer was only six months later. It was called by
King and parliament for March 23rd, 1941. The guidance of God must have been evident, for we did
not know at the time that this was Hitler's next date for invading Britain.
I have before me Hitler's plan of invasion, which was discovered after the war and published in the national
newspapers.
My notes record the following events, which followed the fourth National Day of Prayer:
1. A great earthquake created waves with terrific gales which blew Nazi ships 80 miles off course.
2. That same week, Yugoslavia which had surrendered to Hitler changed its mind and organised
resistance.
3. Ethiopia was liberated from Mussolini, Hitler's co-partner.
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4. The British Navy fought the Italian fleet in the Mediterranean. Italy lost many cruisers and destroyers
and their newest battleship was badly damaged. There was no damage to the British Navy, and no
men were lost.
5. The Ethiopian ports were liberated. Haile Selassie, Ethiopia's Christian Emperor, said when no help
was coming, 'Then I put my cause into God's hands'.
6. Hitler changed his plans entirely as a result of the submarine earthquake. He gave up invading Britain,
and against all the advice of his generals, he turned his attention eastwards to invade Russia.
This was a turning point in the war. We learned later that Hitler had put off the invasion of Britain four times. A
full account was given by Mr Attlee in 1946 as reported in the Daily Telegraph: This Operation Seelowe (sea lion) was based on a landing of two armies with 25 divisions in all between
Folkestone and Worthing. Ten divisions were to go ashore on the first four days to form the initial bridgehead.
The preparatory phase, an air offensive was to have begun on August 13th, but the Germans decided that the
actual invasion could not take place until September 15th. D-Day was eventually put off until September 21st.
Altogether, Hitler postponed the plan four times between September 1940 and the Spring of 1942, after which
'it did not seem to be seriously considered again'.
Significant Events after the Fifth National Day of Prayer
5. The fifth National Day of Prayer was on September 3rd, 1942. It was the third anniversary of the
outbreak of war. The very next day at Palermo in the Mediterranean, the whole Italian fleet was
sunk. Very significantly, the next month in the North African desert, the Eighth Army under General
Montgomery saved Egypt (and therefore Israel) from being invaded by Hitler's powerful tank
commander Rommel.
Italy Surrenders, Mussolini Murdered
6. The sixth National Day of Prayer was held on September 3rd, 1943. It was a weekday, chosen at the
time because it was the fourth anniversary of the outbreak of war. Italy surrendered to the allies
that very night, and the dictator Mussolini was murdered.
It was Mussolini who had invaded Abyssinia (Ethiopia). Emperor Haile Selassie's prayer had been answered.
The Ethiopians were liberated, and Haile Selassie became a popular speaker saying, 'I glory in the Bible'.
Military Leaders Testify To God's Help
7. In the spring of 1944, the seventh and last Day of Prayer was called by the King.
The launching of D-Day was delayed several times by the Supreme Commander G. Eisenhower owing to the
terrible weather. At last Eisenhower had to make a final decision or miss it altogether, so on June 5th the Allied
Forces launched out across the Channel. Eisenhower reported later:
If there was nothing else in my life to prove the existence of an Almighty and Merciful God, the events of the
next twenty-four hours did it. The greatest break in a terrible outlay of weather occurred next day and allowed
that great invasion to proceed. You may say to me 'The nation prayed on this last National Day of Prayer but
what did the Army do about it?' All officers were called to church services, and all ranks came to pledge
themselves to God. 'But how deep did this go,' you may ask, 'knowing the varied types of characters?'
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I can only quote to you part of the address given by the deputy chaplain-general. He did not merely urge
religion. He urged faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The actual services of dedication were held on the eve of D-
Day: The deputy chaplain-general was Canon Llewellyn
With a Prayer on Our Lips... supporting the King's call to prayer during WW2
- Source Daily Express, 1944
Hughes. He said:
It is not enough for an army or a nation to have a vague faith
in God. It is not enough for us to rest content that our
commanders are godly, and that God's flag is publicly flown.
Faith in God is useless until it governs action. What does God
want done? We believe in God - as what? As a nonentity,
content to be recognised, and then ignored? As a vague
power, meaningless, purposeless, inarticulate, and therefore
unfit to command a platoon, let alone a world? No. We
believe in God who wants, and means to have done, all that
Christ embodied, taught, lived out. Let an army and a people
learn what God stands for, and then they will know when they
are for or against His purpose, and support or oppose with
confidence as His commissioned servants. That is where the
solid toil of consecration comes in. The character of Christ
must be known; His goodness perceived and loved; Himself
accepted as Master. No special effort thrown off in an
emergency will accomplish that; and there is no short cut.
So the chaplains are going forward with the forces preaching
the simple Gospel of Christ, the Author and Finisher of all the
fine qualities of men.
There is no ideal of character better than the one God sent to
us again in Jesus Christ our Lord. Read the New Testament.
This is typical of the spiritual leadership given by officers and
commanders of the armed forces.
My memory of that seventh National Day of Prayer is that the
nation did not turn out for prayer in the same overwhelming
numbers as on previous occasions. What was the reason?
Was it that the fear of defeat had vanished? If so it would be
typical of human nature, unfortunately.
Earlier in the war, everybody understood the hopelessness of
our situation and fled to God for deliverance. Even newspapers had given tips on how to pray.
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The Second World War Miracles Part 3
The Miracle of Malta
General Sir William Dobbie, the hero of Malta, gives some personal insights into the real faith of many top
military authorities. Malta was under siege, and seemed unlikely to survive. General Dobbie wrote:
At about this time, I was greatly encouraged by a telegram I received from the Chief of the Imperial General
Staff, General Sir Edmond Ironside (later, Field Marshall). The telegram, which was addressed to me
personally, contained the reference Deuteronomy chapter 3, verse 22. I looked up the reference in my Bible,
and I read: 'You shall not fear them, for the Lord your God, he shall fight for you.' God certainly did so that the
outcome was popularly called 'The Miracle of Malta'.
I bought General Dobbie's book, A Very Present Help (Marshall, 1944), as soon as it was published because I
had met him two years earlier when he told the remarkable deliverance of Malta. The visit was reported at the
time in the Dorset Daily Echo as follows:
General Sir William Dobbie's visit to Dorchester on Wednesday can be placed without qualification in the
category of memorable events. It brought about a unique mobilisation of religious leaders of the town,
sounded the highest notes of spirituality and left scores of Dorchester people feeling better for having met one
of the outstanding personalities of the war. He brought into the crowded hall some of the rock-like attributes
of Malta itself, and it would be true to say that the majority of the audience were more deeply moved by his
simple unaffected confession of faith, than by the story, even, of the Island's defence, glorious as it was ... In
addition to the dignitaries already named as present, our thanks are due to Mrs Victor Pearce for her solo, 'I
know that my redeemer liveth'.
Four Days to Save HMS Illustrious
One of General Dobbie's reports was on how the new aircraft carrier HMS Illustrious was saved: In January
1941, a convoy was brought to Malta. It was escorted by a considerable portion of the Mediterranean Fleet,
and in the escort was a new aircraft carrier, HMS Illustrious, a magnificent and very valuable ship. The German
Luftwaffe had recently come to Sicily in considerable strength, in order to reduce our offensive activities at
Malta. They attacked the Illustrious. In spite of heavy losses by the Germans they pressed the attack and
obtained a number of hits causing severe damage. That evening after dark Illustrious limped into Malta and
made fast alongside the dockyard. When they saw that Illustrious was in the dockyard, the German air force
came over Malta and persisted relentlessly to bomb the ship. She received several more hits, and near misses
caused underwater damage. The situation was very serious, and the chances of saving the ship were very
small. However, the dockyard authorities said that if there was no further damage for four days it might be
possible to get the ship to sea.
General Dobbie bade many people in Malta to join him in prayer. The attacks started again the next day, but
strangely all the bombs missed! Why was that? It was the same for the next three days. They all missed!
Apparently, the Germans had changed tactics and bombed from a much greater height, and missed every
time, and Illustrious sailed out safely.
Other similar instances were described by General Dobbie, but a very significant statement was made
concerning difficulties in the terrible First World War, and about the delay for D-Day in the Second War. It
emphasises my remark that the nation did not turn out in the same way on the seventh Day of Prayer as they
did when Britain was in peril.
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The Sinking of the Bismarck
The following extract appeared in the Daily Sketch on April 9th, 1946 concerning the testimony of the
importance of prayer by the Vice-Admiral of the Fleet, at the time of the sinking of the Bismarck on May 27th,
1941.
When the Bismarck was hamstrung by our torpedoes in mid-Atlantic, Admiral of the Fleet Lord Tovey [then
Vice-Admiral Sir John Tovey] knew he could bring her back into action next day at his convenience. 'But
although she was damaged, her guns and instruments were in perfect condition,' he said. 'Although I was
going to bring her into action with the King George V and Rodney, if you had asked any informed person what
the result would be, he would have said, "You'll sink the Bismarck but one or both of your ships will be
mauled."
'THAT EVENING I WENT DOWN TO MY CABIN AND SAID A PRAYER ON MY KNEES. WHEN I HAD SAID IT I KNEW
EVERYTHING WAS GOING TO BE ALL RIGHT. I took those ships in to attack the biggest battleship in the world,
far bigger than my two ... I closed in to 3,000 yards - and the Bismarck never scored a hit on either of my ships.
I have no doubt of the explanation of it.'
Lord Tovey told the story at the parish hall of the Church of the High Seas, St Dunstan's, Stepney Green, where
he handed over to the rector the flag he flew in the action.
The capital letters above are as printed in the Daily Sketch. According to Everyman's Encyclopaedia, 1978, 'The
action was a triumph of co-ordinated movement'.
The Miracle of the Fog
General Morgan referred to other miracles great or local which others reported. Here is one concerning a
platoon in the American General Patton's Third Army. It is from a soldier's letter to his mother, who lived in
Pleasantville, New Jersey. His name was Joel; he was six foot four inches and weighed 215 lb. Facing the enemy
in Luxembourg, he braved everything they could fire at him and his platoon.
He and the fifty men of his platoon were in real danger. They were working in observation lines, and in a few
patrols.
∙ One of my best friends, Tom, with his whole platoon were pinned down by mortar and artillery fire.
They were given the order to move but they couldn't because the enemy had full view of them from a
hill and were zeroing their fire on them accurately. Tom is the most conscientious Christian boy I have
ever met in the services. He knew something had to be done to save the fifty men. He crawled from
his foxhole and looked things over. Seeing the hopelessness of the situation, he laid down behind a
tree and prayed earnestly for God to help him. This is true mother . . . after he prayed a mist or fog
rolled down between the two hills, and the whole platoon got out of their foxholes and escaped. They
reorganized in a little town behind the lines where there was a church building. They all went in and
knelt down to pray and thank the Lord, and then they asked Tom to take the service. This is true
mother, and it just shows how much prayer can mean. If that was not an answer to prayer, I don't
know what is. You can bet Tom is respected by his buddies.
The mother reported that both Joel and Tom had an experience with the Lord - that's when they received his
salvation and came to know him personally.
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The Second World War Miracles Part 4
The Impact Of Public Prayer And Faith Of Leaders
In the 1914-18 war the ding-dong struggle went on backwards and forwards. People have said, 'It seems as
though God was withholding success from us, yet keeping us from disaster.' Until, that is, an official
government move to authorise the National Day of Prayer. The churches were praying all the time of course,
but God was waiting for a national commitment. It was not until July 1st, 1918, that a decision was taken by
the Government to issue such a call. Immediately that decision was taken, a remarkable change came over the
situation . . . there was a series of brilliant victories which led up to the Armistice.
It might be asked, 'Did Germany not have any official prayers?'
The answer is that they did not. Moreover, Hitler contradicted Christ's words. He said, 'Jesus taught love your
enemies as yourself and be kind to those who insult you. But I say, hate your enemies and destroy them. Let
the German Master-Race dominate!'
He was following the teaching of Nietzsche, the demented son of a Lutheran pastor, and none of Hitler's youth
movement was allowed to be a Christian.
It was very different with Dobbie and with others like him. As the Dorset Daily Echo reported, 'He made a
confession of faith' as they called it:
At the age of fourteen years I came to know Jesus Christ, before that I only knew him in my head, but at half-
term holiday at Blackheath ... I then and there accepted Jesus Christ as my Saviour, on the grounds that he had
settled my debt of sin once and for all, and that therefore I went free. Having taken that step, my first reaction
was one of intense relief. The heavy burden was lifted for good and all. I could face the past, present and
future with confidence.
What is very significant was the eagerness of the commanders-in-chief of all the three military services that all
ranks should possess and read The New Testament. At the back of that little khaki Testament each
commander-in-chief of the Navy, Army and Air Force had added his signature to the words: 'We commend the
Gospel of Christ our Saviour to every member of His Majesty's Forces.'
One of many stories told tells of a dying soldier. He lay face down and under his hand lay an open khaki New
Testament. His finger was stuck to the page and the print came off as they lifted him up. He was buried with
these words to which he had been pointing, transferred to his finger:
Jesus said, 'I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me, although he were dead, yet shall he live.'
Lt General Sir Frederick Morgan was head of the British and American Planning Staff that made plans for the
invasion, that led to the surrender of Nazi Germany. He wrote two years after the surrender and end of
hostilities. 'Miracles happen still,' he wrote. 'How many of them have we not seen enacted before our eyes in
these past few years?' Then he lists a few and adds others:
1. There was Dunkirk and its flat calm sea. Who planned that? We saw no way out barring a miracle.
Then came the miracle.
2. Two years later, the British and American military convoy was sailing in order to land in North Africa.
All the enemy submarines were on the lookout. A breathtaking moment was when a U-boat caught
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