World War 2

  • The British Free Corps (BFC) stands as one of the more peculiar episodes of World War II, symbolizing Nazi Germany’s propaganda-driven attempts to exploit discontent and division among Allied prisoners of war (POWs). Though numerically insignificant and operationally negligible, the BFC has drawn historical interest as a study in the intersection of ideology, coercion, and

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  • Something that always fascinated me (for lack of a better word) about Hitler was the double standards he applied. As the leader of his country, he always portrayed himself as someone with principles. However, he broke those principles—time and time again. Hitler hated smoking and had been a smoker himself but had stopped at a

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  • Like his leader and idol, Adolf Hitler was a failed artist and Joseph Göbbels a failed author. Both men sought scapegoats for their shortcomings. Below is a testimony from Dr Johnston, who I believe was a fellow-schoolmate of Göbbels. “I lived in Rheydt in Rheinland and attended secondary school here. Rheydt is the birthplace of

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  • Free to Fish Again

    A subject rarely discussed in the context of World War II is the manner in which daily life gradually returned to a semblance of normality in France following D-Day, particularly in Normandy. By 25 July, with most German armored units drawn westward by the British Goodwood Offensive, American forces encountered a front largely stripped of

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  • Finland’s Jewish Soldiers

    Denmark is often lauded for their actions during World War II, saving most Danish Jews from the Holocaust. The wartime Jewish population of Denmark was 7,800, of which 102 lost their lives to the Nazis during the Holocaust. However, Denmark was the only Nordic country that saved its majority of Jewish citizens. Finland had a

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  • Football Heroes—PEC Zwolle

    When I say football heroes, I don’t mean heroes on the pitch, scoring goals and winning matches, even though they did that too. In this case I am referring to the conduct of the whole football club. Sunday, 22 June 1941, the same day that Germany broke the non-aggression pact with the Soviet Union and

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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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  • Jacob de Mesquita

    I look at the picture of Jacob de Mesquita and I ask myself “How was this possible?” How was it possible that this baby was selected to be send to the gas chambers? Was there not one person among the Auschwitz staff members who thought that this was wrong? Was there no one who saw

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  • The above photograph is of a plaque that hangs over a house in The Hague. It was the residence of Mies Wahlbeehm, where she hid a great number of Jews. The one thing that captured my attention was the words at the top of the plaque, “De herrinering aan de doden is voor hen een

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  • Anna (also known as) Ans van Dijk, was a collaborator of Jewish descent. The Germans arrested Van Dijk while he was in hiding on April 25, 1943. After she agreed to work for the SD, Van Dijk was released. It is estimated that approximately seven hundred people had been arrested—because of her actions. Van Dijk

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