Magic at War

Robert Harbin was o ne of the most influential magicians of the Twentieth Century. Not only was he a superb performer, he was an inventive genius, and one of the most prodigious inventors of magical effects. During World War Two, he was tasked with bringing entertainment to thousands of war-weary troops in the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East. Robert Harbin - a master magician (Source: whirligig-tv.co.uk) The Boy Magician from Sunny South Africa   Robert Harbin (Edward ‘Ned’ Richard Charles Williams) was born in Johannesburg, South Africa in early 1909.     He first got interested in magic after an ex-serviceman appeared at his school with a magic show, which Harbin later described as   “rather poor.”  But, with his interest sparked, young Ned started learning magic. After watching British magician Clive Maskelyne perform in Durban,   he travelled to England in 1928 – aged 19 –   “to try his luck in the ‘old country’”.   ...

František Hladík (or Frank Hladík), known professionally as ' Verdini', was born near Tabor in Czec hoslovakia on 11 August, 1909. He discovered magic early in his life and joined a magic club run by Viktor Ponrepo, a Czech magician and a cinema pioneer. Making an impressive debut, Hladík performed his first professional engagement, 18-years old, at the Grand Theatre  in his country's capital city, Prague. By 1939, Hladík was an established performer, with over a decade of experience as a comedy magician. When World War Two started, he was touring his native land, appearing in a cabaret show called  Magic Lope .  But, on 15 March of that year, Hitler's armed forces invaded Czechoslovakia.  Adolf Hitler at Prague Castle,  Czechoslovakia (Source: Public domain) In the weeks that followed the occupation, thousands of Czechs left their country, most of them escaping to neighbouring Poland.  Czechoslovakia's politicians chose not to resist the Ger...

"Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few..." By mid-1940, German forces had occupied much of Eastern Europe, Denmark, Norway, France and the Low Countries, leaving Britain and her empire standing alone to defeat the Nazi menace.  In July, Hitler ordered the preparation of Operation Sea Lion, the invasion of Great Britain.  The period that followed, through to October 1940, became known as the Battle of Britain. It was fought in the skies, as the Luftwaffe (German air force) launched a stream of deadly raids, day and night, to compel Britain to agree to a negotiated peace settlement. The Luftwaffe first aimed to destroy Britain's airfields. As the battle progressed, it also targeted factories involved in aircraft production and strategic infrastructure. The Nazis wanted to gain air superiority over the Channel, to allow an amphibious and airborne assault. Leading the defence of the United Kingdom, were the airmen and aircraft of the ...