World War 2

  • We all know the story of Anne Frank, well at least we think we do. But Anne Frank wasn’t only a girl who wrote a diary, she was also still a child and I think this is often forgotten. It’s probably because of her mature attitude but at the end of the day she was…

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  • World War II saw rapid technological innovation in response to the needs of the various combatants. Many different weapons systems evolved as a result, but also data processing equipment. Machines such as the ‘Colossus'(Picture above) was an electronic digital computer, built during WWII from over 1700 valves (tubes). It was used to break the codes…

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  • The Gelöbnis treuester Gefolgschaft  translated from German to English as “vow of most faithful allegiance”, or “proclamation of loyalty of German writers” was a declaration by 88 German writers and poets of their loyalty to Adolf Hitler. It was printed in the Vossische Zeitung on 26 October 1933 and publicised by the Prussian Academy of Arts…

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  • This is one of those ‘What if’ stories, a different result would have made a massive impact on world’s history. Gibson was born in Dublin, Ireland, on August 31 1876. Her father was an Irish lawyer and politician, Edward Gibson, who was created Baron Ashbourne in 1886. Her mother, Frances, was a Christian Scientist. Violet grew…

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  • Dear Sir, you don’t know it but I owe you so much,possibly my life. Often have I visited the cemetery where your final resting place is. I may have even stood at your grave, contemplating why you and your band of brothers that surround you,sacrificed their lives in a land that was not theirs. It…

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  • The existence of concentration and extermination camps were well known before they were liberated. The reason why it was not acted upon is not clear to me. I have heard the theory that it was more important to win the war then to liberate the camps, because defeat of Nazi Germany would ultimately safe the…

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  • Not every battle during WWII took place on a battlefield or at sea, some battles took place between allies in the most unlikely battlefronts like night clubs. The Battle of Manners Street was one of those battles,  it was a riot involving American servicemen and New Zealand servicemen and civilians outside the Allied Services Club…

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  • Even though Ireland was a neutral country during WWII it didn’t escape the war completely unscathed.It was especially it’s mercantile marine which was affected by the German Navy. Admiral Karl Dönitz had issued a standing order to U-boats on 4 September 1940, which defined belligerent, neutral and friendly powers. Neutral included “Ireland in particular”. The…

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  • Although the world was going through one of the darkest era’s in its existence , there was still a sense of humour prevailing. For many it was this sense of humour which was all that remained of their humanity. Below are some examples of April Fool#s day hoaxes during WWII. On April 1 1943 The…

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  • Punks in WWII

    Before you start thinking that this will be a blog about Punk bands like the Sex Pistols singing about WWII, you’d be wrong. In fact, it has nothing to do with Punk music but more about Jazz. I am referring to Punk as a rebellion against the establishment. During WWII there were 2 groups very…

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