• Many still believe that Nazi atrocities were carried out solely by the SS, SS-Totenkopfverbände, Einsatzgruppen, and Waffen-SS, and not by regular Wehrmacht or Luftwaffe personnel. However, in recent years, evidence has shown that members of das Heer were also responsible for war crimes—sometimes committing acts even more brutal than those of the SS. Below are…

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  • Rolf Abrahamsohn was not only a witness to the Holocaust he was also witness to the remorselessness of some of his fellow country men. One day a few months after the war Rolf encountered a man who was hitchhiking. Rolf felt sorry for the man because he only had one leg, so he decided to…

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  • The Japanese treatment of prisoners of war during World War II was brutally inhumane. The men shown in the above photograph belong to the Sikh Regiment of the British Indian Army. They are seated in the traditional cross-legged prayer position, likely reciting their final prayers at the moment this photo was taken—a chilling and morbid…

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  • The story of Harrie and Trien Semler-Hendriks “Not a single day was without danger.” The most striking action of the underground resistance movement “De Vrijbuiters” in Maarheeze was the raid on the ration-distribution office in Valkenswaard in April 1944. The group also helped dozens of people in hiding. Yet here, in the border region with…

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  • Pvt. Claude Wilber Derrick was the son of Richard and May Isabel (Shannon) Derrick of Canterbury, New Brunswick. After being killed in action on March 2,1945, in Germany, he was first laid to rest in a temporary cemetery in Bedburg. In keeping with the order that no Canadian fallen remain on German soil, his remains…

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  • Dirk VI served as the Count of Holland from 1121 until his death in 1157. Succeeding his father, Floris II, at the age of seven, he initially ruled under the regency of his mother, Petronilla of Lorraine. His reign was defined by a delicate balancing act: acknowledging the Bishop of Utrecht as his overlord while…

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  • The Swedish white bread was a great gift to the Dutch population. Unfortunately, it was only a brief bright spot, and the winter of 1944–45 was not only extremely harsh but also very long-lasting. Swedish White Bread At the end of January 1945, the Red Cross transported flour from Sweden by ship. Only a month…

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  • I moved to Ireland in 1997 and have not regretted it one day. I love the place and the people. Does that mean it is a perfect place? Of course not. I would be lying if I said there is no antisemitism in Ireland, because there is. But compared to most other European countries, it…

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  • 1.5 Million Stars

    I recently read a scientific report about the revised Extinctions and Radii for 1.5 Million Stars, which was observed by APOGEE, GALAH, and RAVE surveys. I am not sure what those three terms mean. But I was intrigued by the number of 1.5 million. 1.5 million is the estimated number of children who were murdered…

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  • Bert Jan Flim, a noted Dutch historian who has researched the rescue of Jewish children during the Holocaust in the Netherlands. His father and paternal grandparents were recipients of the Righteous Among the Nations award for their part in rescuing Jews during the Holocaust. Herman Flim, a baker from Nijverdal. During World War II, Herman…

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