That was the year...
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CM was launched in 1905; for our centenary year we're bringing you stories from years gone by. This week we're back in 1943 and 1993.
1943
Bouncing bombs
In May Lancaster bombers from the RAF's elite 617 Squadron used the Barnes-Wallis 'bouncing bomb' to breach Germany's three greatest dams across the Moline. Eder. and Sorpe reservoirs, which between them controlled more than 60% of the water storage capacity of the Industrial Ruhr,
Best of friends
The leaders of the three great allied powers, Winston Churchill, Franklin D Roosevelt and Joseph Stalin, met for the first time, to discuss the course of the war and other major political issues. It was the first time Stalin had travelled outside Russia since the 1917 revolution and the first time the US president had met the leader of the USSR.
Looking ahead
CM postulated that: "At present the number of really large lorries is surprisingly small compared with those of medium/ light capacity... but with better roads and greater safety the proportion may gradually change."
Striking the right balance
In May under the heading "Germany's high hopes for lorried infantry" CM ran a double-page spread. with pictures, on the Wehrmacht's Famo 18-tonne armoured half track. Just in case readers thought we'd become a bunch of fifth-columnists the following page reported on the "Latest long-range tea car for desert service" which was capable of providing the Eighth Army in North Africa with 3,000 cups of tea per day. Now there's a real secret weapon.
1993
Best of friends (2)
Vaclav Havel, the former dramatist and writer, was elected president of the newly-democratized Czech Republic..A fierce critic of the communist regime, he had been jailed by the government, which also banned his plays, In Britain, the House of Commons approved the European Unity Pact putting into effect the MaastrichtTreaty and creating the European Union. China broke the nuclear test moratorium.
Checking out
Notable departures included former Wimbledon Champion Arthur Ashe, controversial author Anthony Burgess (Clockwork Orange), jazy. trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie and screen idol Audrey Hepburn.World population hit 5.522bn.FW de Klerk and Nelson Mandela shared the Nobel Peace prize.
It's that man again
In his first November Budget as Chancellor, Ken Clarke announced a massive 12% hike in fuel duty with a promise of rolling 5% increases in each future Budget. TNT, whose fleet covered two million miles a week, braced itself for a £50,000 a week jump in its fuel bill.
Speed fiends
In September the DoT finally decided to introduce the mandatory testing of road speed limiters on HGVs within the annual roadworthiness test. It also hinted at draft legislation to ban coaches from the third lane.CM's editor Brian Weatherley said:"The last thing we want is trucks mixing with coaches and this is exactly what will happen under a third-lane ban.