Ravensbrück concentration camp
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Louisa Gould was a remarkable woman whose bravery and selflessness during World War II exemplify the resilience of the human spirit. As a resident of Jersey in the Channel Islands, she lived through the German occupation from 1940 to 1945. Despite the dangers she faced, Gould risked her life to protect others, ultimately paying the…
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When Reinhard Heydrich was severely injured after the assassination attempt on him, Operation Anthropoid, Himmler ordered his personal physician,Karl Gebhardt, to attend to Heydrich’s injuries. Initially the recovery appeared to go well. Theodor Morell, Hitler’s personal physician, suggested the use of sulfonamides ,which was a new antibacterial drug,, but Gebhardt, assuming that Heydrich would recover,…
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****************WARNING GRAPHIC CONTENT**************** This will be the most horrific post I have done on the Holocaust. Generally, I try to avoid graphic images because they make me feel uncomfortable. However, there is nothing comfortable about the Holocaust, and it should make us feel uneasy. There were millions murdered in the most gruesome way possible. I…
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Not all heroes wear uniforms or capes. Not all resistance fighters use guns. In fact, the bravest ones don’t. Betsie ten Boom was a Hero and resistance fighter. She and her family saw what was happening with their Jewish neighbours and acted. I wish politicians nowadays would follow Betsie’s example and not do the easy…
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Anyone who ever had to go through a medical procedure will know how important the job of a nurse is. When you arrive at the medical facility it is usually a Nurse who sees you first, A nurse will care for you set you mind at ease, often they get to do the mots horrible…
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The Holocaust was not only a result of systemic ideologies but also the actions of individuals who embraced cruelty with fervor. Among these was Ruth Closius-Neudeck, a German SS overseer at concentration camps, whose infamy stems from her merciless treatment of prisoners. Her life and actions provide a chilling example of how ordinary individuals can…
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Johanna Langefeld (née May, 5 March 1900 – 26 January 1974) remains one of the most intriguing and morally complex figures among the female staff of Nazi concentration camps. Rising from a modest background as a domestic-economy instructor to become an Oberaufseherin (senior female overseer), she served at Lichtenburg, Ravensbrück, and the women’s section of…
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(First published May 29, 2024) I had a draft for this piece ready in 2018 but deleted it at the time because I thought it would be too controversial and uncomfortable to read. Forward to 2025, I still think it will be deemed as controversial, and I still think it is uncomfortable to read, but…
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I’ve written about Corrie ten Boom before, but today marks the 80th anniversary of her release from Ravensbrück Concentration Camp—a perfect moment to reflect on this remarkable woman’s extraordinary courage and resilience. Corrie ten Boom is a name synonymous with resilience, faith, and forgiveness. As a Dutch Christian who harbored Jews during World War II,…
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The photograph above is a collage of the faces of the female SS guards in Ravensbrück concentration camp. Like their male counterparts, they were also agents of evil. They had subscribed to the Nazi ideology. Ravensbrück was a purpose-built concentration camp to imprison predominantly women. It housed around 120,000 women and children, 20,000 men, and…