What is Digg?52 Comments
- thefirelane, on 10/12/2007, -8/+153@randomgeek
No, it just goes to show you some people’s smugness knows no bounds. We’re talking about WWII here, it was a battle against one of the greatest evils the world ever knew.
Dismissing these men’s choice as ‘brainwashing’ doesn’t say anything negative about them so much as it does you. These people knew what the stakes were, and were willing to make a sacrifice that in all honesty, you don’t have the stones to do yourself.
So enjoy typing away with your dismissive tone on the internet, it will most likely be your life’s greatest accomplishment. - bflfab, on 10/12/2007, -1/+99Great story. I wonder how many things like this we will never know because people did take the secret to the grave.
- idandfei, on 10/12/2007, -2/+87I can't comment on that, but it always amazes me the lengths people will go to. The Japanese soldier Hiroo Onada that fought WWII for 30 years is a good example. He was fighting Filipino police forces because he just figured they were Allied troops.
- honeycut, on 10/12/2007, -0/+38@idandfei
Hey thanks mate - I had not heard of Hiroo Onada before. Very interesting story.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hiroo_Onada - thelimopit, on 10/12/2007, -3/+40People will do crazy things for the "greater good". If one person has to sacrifice themself or hide in a cave for a few years so that thousands of people will live, so be it. It's not brainwashing, it's logic.
- SillyRabbits, on 10/12/2007, -2/+36People forget that sometimes the reason secrets are kept so long is because it often protects operatives that might be in place for decades. The cave didn't get built by itself, or by the doctor. I'm sure the first question that is asked when the discovery is made is "who the heck was responsible for building it?". They will probably find out and then look at every single things those people have been involved in since. Following that trail can jeopardize contacts that are still around and working on other things. Just because the doctor was out of danger when the war ended doesn't mean everyone was.
- yeastbeast, on 10/12/2007, -1/+28Heads up– this is actually an old story. Apparently the Brits were prepared to do this in a number of places. Here's a much more comprehensive article in the Telegraph dating from 1997:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/htmlContent.jhtml?html=/archive/1997/08/20/ngib20.html
yeastbeast - thespurs, on 10/12/2007, -3/+18Hardly an island.. a British enclave on the southern tip of Spain.
- majinboy, on 10/12/2007, -3/+15Rock of Gibraltar - basically an island with a giant rock in the Mediterranean
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_of_Gibraltar - tomboy501, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8History articles like this are a hard one. Do you put it in Science or World News? Offbeat news? I submit a lot of history stuff, and I always put it in Science - until (if) digg comes up with more of a range of categories, seems the most appropriate.
- wvdavis, on 10/12/2007, -0/+8http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&z=14&ll=36.130319,-5.345535&spn=0.053587,0.080338&t=k&om=1
Nothing moves in or out of the Med (from the Atlantic) without passing it. - soogy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7You'll find a more interesting story over at Damn Interesting: http://www.damninteresting.com/?p=253
He also has a book out, "No Surrender: My Thirty-Year War" -- it's a great read. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -0/+7In the days when Naval supremeacy depeneded on ownership of strategic points Gibraltar was one of the most important, less important ones were the Cape at the bottom of Africa (cape goodhope) or something, and the Panama Canal.
- anagoge, on 10/12/2007, -3/+10I guess they're hiding under rocks.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+7This story is well known, and has been for years. Ask anyone who lives in Gib, if you do not believe me.
- Jonny0stars, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5Due to Gibraltars strategic position (mouth of the Mediterranean sea) im not all surprised by this plan, after all there was an entire secret network of bunkers within england if the Germans where ever to capture Britain, the volunteers where instructed to bomb German bases or important structures and show strong resistance.
Gibraltar was and still is the key to the Mediterranean. - jongens, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4i was just at the rock of gibraltar two weeks ago - what an amazing place! the monkeys would have rescued any live prisoners, those rascals :)
we sailed right around it, and you can see holes right throughout the rock on most sides, where guns were mounted. on the east side of the rock, there are even small piers going into tunnels which were apparently used for unloading submarines.
when you climb to the top of the rock (as far as you can go, there is a GCHQ/echelon listening station at the top) you can really see the strategic value of the place. africa is just 18 nautical miles or so across the straight, which is more or less the shipping gateway for supplying southern europe. - Jaybo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Kinda makes one laugh at Prudential's symbol of choice... ;)
- idandfei, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3Yes, that book is how I found out about him. It must have been maddening towards the end when he was all alone.
- paulke, on 10/12/2007, -2/+5I read the newspaper article covering this and I am interested to know more. Just what sort of food were they going to store and live on for seven years? How was the waste to be managed? How much water would they need for that period? Did they have some sort of purification system for the water? What books and entertainments were planned? What was special about their clothes that would suit long term isolation? Anyone know anymore? Gotta go google for extreme isolation preparation techniques.
- elhaf, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3The article linked in the comments above gives more information. They were set up with supplies to last 7 years, including body disposal should any of them die. There was also a reading list including Anna Karenina. War and Peace may have been a bit much for the times.
- miggz06, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2wow its things like that the made WW2 the greatest event and so unforgettable. Its the self less bravery of those soldiers that will live on forever.
- joeydoo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+3No that was to because the world was being blown up and more of a "last place they can go" type thing. This was to use the island more like a trojan horse. They hid soldiers in a place which the enemy would unknowingly think was nothing out of the ordinary, whilst they relaxed in proximity..... or the Movie "Troy"....... if that's how you want to play this.
- RedDaughter, on 10/12/2007, -2/+4Something like the Trojan Horse; wonder if that inspired the idea. Also wonder if and where something like this might be taking place today. Maybe there are French people monitoring us still from deep instead the Statue of Liberty ;)
- ciro, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1But WHY put it in the Science section? For what reason? This is about history... It's new information uncovered about past events, a 60-year-old secret. The information was acquired by someone confessing the story, not from following the scientific method to uncover the facts. It tells us nothing about the way the universe or the natural world works, and it offers no testable claims. It isn't science... World News concerns important news that is usually about current events. Offbeat news concerns everything that isn't important to know but will probably interest some people. To me, it's pretty clear what category most historical news items should be posted under on Digg.
- mtxe, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1Wow, you got me to look it up and you are right.
- Wiesemborski, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0Funny thing is, missions like this never would've worked because through chance and bad luck they would've been discovered first thing.
Oh, and North Belfast represent! - wobudong, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2How much to rent the place for a week this summer? I mean, how much could they charge for a cave?
- Axas, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3@ bliz
Actually Fermat's theory was proven.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fermat's_last_theorem - elhaf, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2I suppose it's possible; the statue was originally meant to stand over the Suez Canal in the form of an Egyptian peasant woman. So the french spies could have been put in there to spy over the middle east, and they are still sealed in when the statue is redesigned to be an American symbol for the 1876 centennial. I guess they have run out of food by now, though.
- anagoge, on 10/12/2007, -6/+6lol at Google ads:
Jobs in Gibraltar
Specialist Recruitment Agency for Job vacancies in Gibraltar
www.recruitspain.com - zelig, on 10/12/2007, -2/+2Nice story, but just about everyone else involved is dead, so maybe it's just Alzheimer's...
- jimcrone, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0The Independent on Sunday published a short article about Gibraltar's "Stay Behind" Cave. The piece, written by Anne Penketh, made reference to the fact that 92 year old Dr
Bruce Cooper has broken his silence about this top secret WW2 mission. The article also mentioned that researchers had met and interviewed Dr Cooper.
Unfortunately Ms Penketh's original piece was heavily edited by the Independent on Sunday which did nothing more than provide an account of what was already known ten
years ago. The edited peice completely failed to cover the following three elements;
1. Dr Coopers description of the secret chamber that he was taken to in 1942 is in some aspects different to the layout of "Stay Behind Cave". This is now fuelling existing
rumours that a second secret chamber is yet to be discovered. I have a sketch of such a chamber in my research files, it originated from an MI6 source. Further information
has come from a former GCHQ telegraphist which suggests that tandem Operation Tracer units operated during the Suez crisis, so this may also have been the case in
Gibraltar.
2. On several occasions during the past month a specialist team has been searching the Upper Rock area of Gibraltar for evidence of a second chamber and two areas are of
interest within MOD property.
3. Discussions are currently taking place in the hope of bringing Dr Cooper to Gibraltar to reunite him with "Stay Behind" Cave or to possibly identify the whereabouts of a
second secret chamber.
I am actually one of the researchers who interviewed Dr Cooper on behalf of the discovergibraltar.com website. A substantial amount of information has been added to the
website which includes MP3 audio clips of Dr Cooper talking, also photographs of him in 1942 as well as photographs taken of him at the meeting. The section also includes
up to date information about Operation Tracer and photographs of Stay Behind Cave taken at the beginning of January 2007.
http://www.discovergibraltar.com - rabidrooster, on 10/12/2007, -3/+2Great story! I am visualizing something like a hatch from 'Lost'.
- Sargasso_C, on 10/12/2007, -2/+0You would have to share it with 17 illegal immigrants.
- bliz, on 10/12/2007, -4/+1@axas
I know '''-_- What I'm talking about was whether he really had the proof back then as claimed. - bannoy, on 10/12/2007, -4/+0FTA:
Commander Levick said: "I cannot tell you what it's all about yet but you will need an accomplice." Dr Cooper recommended his friend Arthur Milner, a fellow doctor, and the team was put in place.
------------------ - Sargasso_C, on 10/12/2007, -4/+0It's called cricket.
- Brodels, on 10/12/2007, -6/+1I was just about to book a flight until I read yeastbeast's link above. Phew...
- tom12, on 10/12/2007, -6/+0That is a good news story, soldiers will do anything to protect their mother countries.
http://www.desiclassifieds.com/index.php?catid=1 - bliz, on 10/12/2007, -8/+2Fermat's last theorem for one...yea he wrote that the margin was too small...if only he was alive he'll be interrogated for his proof.
- sstidman, on 10/12/2007, -11/+3Oh come on people, that was funny! I guess you folks who are digging blaze03 down never heard of this movie: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117500/
- ciro, on 10/12/2007, -10/+2good story, but it's gotta get dugg down because it ain't science but you put it in the science section.
- IvanB, on 10/12/2007, -17/+4For example, and this is kinda of a well known fact, Americans, after dropping the 2 atomic bombs were planning to attack also with bacteriologic and chemic bombs, which would of been really really deadly as well.
- chubbybubba, on 10/12/2007, -16/+1Wait....this happened in Terminator 3!!!....
- blaze03, on 10/12/2007, -21/+6The only question is, what the heck were British people doing on Alcatraz during WW2.
- angusware, on 10/12/2007, -21/+3What is the Rock? I'm guessing it's a place or somehting....
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -27/+1Life imitates idiocracy, or vice versa?
- computergod, on 10/12/2007, -47/+8@ thefirelane
I think he was talking about the amount of time he kept it a secret, not what he volunteered to do.
I wonder what is left of the cavern. FTA, they were supposed to stay there for a year or longer, so it must have had a lot of facilities and storage. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -55/+3Proof that people in the military like to get their brains washed with detergent.
/Buried alive so they can spy on someone? Come on.
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