World War 2
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A smiley face with an evil soul. Eddie Leonski, known as the “Brownout Strangler” and the “Singing Strangler,” was an American soldier and serial killer who committed a series of murders in Melbourne, Australia, during World War II. Edward Joseph Leonski was born on December 12, 1917, in Kenvil, New Jersey, in the United States.…
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Salo Muller is a Dutch physiotherapist, author, and Holocaust survivor known for his efforts in seeking justice and compensation for Holocaust victims. He was born on February 29, 1936, in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Salo Muller’s early life was profoundly affected by the Holocaust. His parents, who were Jewish, were deported and murdered in Auschwitz when he…
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The Doctors’ Trial, officially known as United States of America v. Karl Brandt, et al., was the first of 12 subsequent Nuremberg Trials held after World War II. These trials were conducted to bring Nazi war criminals to justice for their roles in the Holocaust and other war crimes. The Doctors’ Trial specifically focused on…
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I am always in awe of the brave men and women who risked their lives to save the lives of strangers—the Unsung Heroes of World War II. Kees Zwaans was such a hero. Kees Zwaans was a notable figure in the Dutch resistance during World War II. The Dutch resistance was a diverse movement that…
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When people hear the term “Holocaust survivor,” they often assume it refers exclusively to Jewish survivors. While the majority of individuals targeted and killed by the Nazis were indeed Jewish, it’s important to recognize that other groups were also persecuted and murdered. The second largest group targeted during the Holocaust was the Romani-Sinti, commonly referred…
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From 1987 to 1997, I worked for Philips. It was a global leader in electronics and is still a leader in healthcare technology. In 1991, it celebrated its 100th anniversary. We were promised a profit share, but due to cuts, that never happened. Instead, we received a book about the history—100 years of Philips. 50…
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I noticed a great number of Jewish names from the Netherlands on the Joods Monument that were murdered at Sobibor on May 21, 1943. On May 21, 1942, 4,300 Jews were deported from the Polish town of Chelm to the Nazi extermination camp at Sobibor, where they were all later gassed to death. On the…
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The “Westerbork Film” refers to a film shot by Rudolf Breslauer at the Westerbork transit camp during World War II. This film is a significant historical document because it provides a rare visual record of life in a Nazi transit camp. The film was commissioned by Albert Gemmeker, the Westerbork Camp Commandant in 1944. He…
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The address of Bloemenmarkt 7 won’t mean much to most of you, and it probably doesn’t mean that much to some of the people in Geleen. It was the address of a butcher shop and apartment in a square in the suburbs of Lindenheuvel in Geleen, the Netherlands. Today it is the home of a…
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A diary is like a chronicle, a chronological summary of someone’s life, or at least part of it. Nowadays people use social media to document their daily life. Unlike social media, diaries are meant to be secret. That’s why the words from Holocaust diaries which were published after World War II, should be treated with…
History of Sorts 