World War 2
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Earlier this week I had one question and one statement about concentration camps. The question was “What are the differences between a concentration camp and an extermination camp?” This question I will try to address as much as possible in this blog. But before I do that I want to mention the statement which was…
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Sometimes I struggle with finding a suitable title for a post. As it was for this post, but then he thought using just the raw data as the title is probably the best tribute for this family. The Family is the Chaim family Julius Chaim moved to Nijmegen on 15 October 1940, from Amsterdam. He…
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Eugene Bullard was an extraordinary figure in history whose courage, resilience, and determination helped him overcome significant racial and social barriers. He was not only the first African American military pilot but also a soldier, entertainer, and spy who played a significant role in both World Wars. Despite his achievements, Bullard’s story remained largely unrecognized…
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Eddie Slovik was executed on January 31, 1945, becoming the only American soldier put to death for desertion since the Civil War. Of approximately 40,000 U.S. service members who deserted during World War II, only several thousand were court-martialed. Forty-nine received death sentences, but Slovik was the only one whose sentence was executed. Private Eddie…
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It’s interesting how research can lead you to unexpected discoveries. While looking into one topic, I stumbled upon something even more compelling: the photograph above. It’s an identification photo from the Herzogenbusch Concentration Camp, aka Vught concentration camp, in the Netherlands, depicting prisoner Martinus T. Barbier taken by the camp photographer on January 20, 1944.…
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According to the Joods Monument-Jewish Monument, seven Dutch Jews were tragically murdered at Bergen-Belsen on this day, 81 years ago. Today, I am remembering one of them: Naatje Morpurgo-van Wijnbergen. Naatje was born in The Hague on March 11, 1874, and was murdered in Bergen-Belsen on January 30, 1945, at the age of 70. She…
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The sinking of the Titanic may be history’s most infamous maritime disaster and the torpedoing of the Lusitania, the most notorious wartime naval tragedy. Yet, both—with death tolls of approximately 1,500 and 1,200, respectively—are overshadowed by the fate of the MV Wilhelm Gustloff. On January 30, 1945, the German ocean liner was struck by torpedoes…
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Below is the testimony of Rudolf Höss, taken on Monday, 15 April 1946, during the Nuremberg Trials. Morning Session DR. KAUFFMANN: With the agreement of the Tribunal, I now call the witness Hoess. [The witness Hoess took the stand.] THE PRESIDENT: Stand up. Will you state your name? RUDOLF FRANZ FERDINAND HOESS (Witness): Rudolf Franz…
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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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Max Heiliger did a lot more than just launder money for the Nazis. Stolen banknotes and jewellery along with Holocaust victims’ dental gold, wedding rings, and even scrap gold melted down from spectacles-frames flooded into the Max Heiliger accounts, filling several bank vaults by 1942. So who was this Max Heiliger? Basically, he was a…
History of Sorts 