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On July 31, 1940, British prime minister Winston Churchill visited the coastal defenses near Hartlepool, England during the bleakest period of the Battle of Britain. During his inspection of the troops, he was photographed holding a machine gun (or tommy gun as the Brits call it). The British press thought the photo was unflattering and it got little attention. However, the Germans obtained a copy and thought it had potential as anti-Churchill propaganda. They equated the photo with lawless American gangsters and used it to create a leaflet. Thousands of copies of this photo, bearing the caption 'Wanted for Incitement to Murder,' were dropped over London in an attempt to portray Churchill in a negative light. It didn't work. Far from being offended, the Londoners loved the image of their gun-toting PM. Thus the German propaganda leaflet had the opposite effect from what had been intended. It became a prized possession for Londoners.
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Winston
Churchill
photo
machine
gun
Added: 18th July 2010
Views: 8422
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Posted By: Lava1964 |
 
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Lester Gillis, better known as Baby Face Nelson, due to his youthful appearance, was a diminutive 5'4" tall bank robber in the 1930s. Born in Chicago, he began his criminal career stealing cars. He also worked for a time as an enforcer for Al Capone, fought with Capone's ally and outfit member Anthony Accetturo, and received broken bones for his troubles, but he was let go due to being "too violent" for Capone to control. Nelson came to greater prominence in 1934, when he joined the Dillinger gang. He was the antithesis of popular, Robin Hood-like gangsters of the Depression era. Having a psychopathic bent, he didn't hesitate to kill lawmen and innocent bystanders. In contrast though, Nelson was a devoted husband and father who often had his wife and children with him while running from the law. A running machine gun battle with FBI agents took place on November 27, 1934. It started when Nelson, his wife, and John Paul Chase were driving down a road and saw a police car driving the opposite direction. Nelson hated police and federal agents and used a list of license plates he had compiled to actively hunt them at every opportunity. He had recognized the car and decided to chase them. Once they both stopped, the shootout started. Nelson and Chase used their car for cover, however, he charged at the police and opened fire. Even though he was shot 17 times, he was still able to steal the agents car after killing them. Nelson's wife and Chase helped him into the car and with Nelson giving directions, Chase drove away from the scene. Nelson succumbed to his wounds at approximately 8pm that evening and was unceremoniously dumped near a Skokie, Illinois, cemetery. He holds the dubious distinction of being personally responsible for the killing of more federal agents than any other criminal.
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baby
face
nelson
al
capone
american
gangsters
Added: 27th November 2007
Views: 3055
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Posted By: Babs64 |
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Newsreel footage of the bullet-ridden automobile in which gangsters Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow were gunned down. The footage was taken only minutes after the shooting stopped.
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Bonnie
Clyde
car
Added: 20th January 2008
Views: 2548
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Posted By: Lava1964 |
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Great clip of all the greats!
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Very
Cool!
Added: 13th June 2008
Views: 1242
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Posted By: Marty6697 |
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