|
The 1915 Vanceboro international bridge bombing was an attempt to destroy the Saint Croix-Vanceboro Railway Bridge on February 2, 1915, by Imperial German spies. This international bridge crossed the St. Croix River between the border hamlets of St. Croix in the Canadian province of New Brunswick and Vanceboro in the U.S. state of Maine. At the time of the sabotage attempt in 1915, the bridge was jointly owned and operated by the Canadian Pacific Railway on the Canadian side and the Maine Central Railroad on the American side. The bombing was masterminded by then spymaster Franz von Papen and executed by Werner Horn. The bomb failed to destroy the bridge but did make it unsafe to use until minor repairs were done. The explosion did however blow out windows in nearby buildings in St. Croix and Vanceboro.〔''Bruce'' p.149〕 == Background == In 1915 the United States was still a neutral country in World War I. The Canadian Pacific Railway was prohibited to carry any war goods or troops onto or through United States territory. However, after Japan entered the war in 1914 on behalf of its British ally, Germany feared that Japan might send troops to the Western Front, across the Pacific Ocean and through Canada, en route. The German government was convinced this would occur and ordered that the Canadian railway system be interrupted.〔''Mount'' p.31〕 At the outbreak of World War I, Werner Horn was a German reserve army lieutenant who had been in Moka, Guatemala, as the manager of a coffee plantation.〔''Strother'' p.38〕 After hearing about the outbreak of war he departed the plantation looking to return to Germany. From Moka he proceeded to British Honduras, and from there sailed to Galveston, Texas, and onwards to New York City.〔 However, he was unable to depart for Germany due to the British blockade in the North Sea.〔 After attempting to set sail for over a month he travelled to Mexico City to return to the plantation. While there he learned that someone else had taken his job. He found work at another plantation in Salto de Agua, Chiapas, but before he could leave he received a card telling him to return to Germany.〔 On December 26, 1914, Horn travelled to New Orleans and then returned to New York, where he stayed in the Arietta Hotel.〔''Strother'' p.40〕 While there he met Von Papen, the military attaché of the German Embassy in Washington, D.C. Von Papen was seeking saboteurs to disrupt Canadian railways and thought that Horn, who was eager to serve the fatherland, was an ideal candidate.〔 Von Papen went on to explain to the zealous Horn that the bombing would be seen as an act of courage and valour in Germany, and that no one would be killed in the process. However, the bridge was heavily used at the time, and there was a good chance that a train would be caught up in any explosion.〔''Strother'' p.37〕 Horn was paid $700 to destroy the St. Croix-Vanceboro railway bridge.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「1915 Vanceboro international bridge bombing」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|