France
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This is a bit of forgotten World War II history. I only found out about this today. From 11 May 1940, the Dutch military received support from French troops, who advanced to Zeeland by sea and via Belgium. Many thousands of Moroccan soldiers fought against the Germans in the French army. About 30,000 of them…
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I want to begin by clarifying that the photographs featured in this blog do not depict the actual victims. However, this is precisely why the crime has been largely forgotten—it was concealed in secrecy, both by the perpetrators and the victims. While exact figures are unavailable, it is estimated that 15% of all Jewish children…
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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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The Maquis were among the most emblematic forces of the French Resistance during the Second World War. Emerging in the countryside after France’s defeat in 1940 and the subsequent German occupation, these clandestine guerrilla groups played a decisive role in undermining Nazi control and preparing the ground for the liberation of France in 1944. Their…
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Although its official name is Gurs Internment Camp, let’s call it what it really was, a concentration camp. It is also probably one, if not the only time, the Nazis sent Jews westward. At first, it served as a camp for Spanish Republicans and German refugees who fled from Nazism. The Gurs Camp was among…
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WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES The 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich surrounded the tiny hamlet of Oradour-sur-Glane in the Limousin region of South Central France on 10 June 1944. The division then massacred 642 French civilians in the village. Some believe that the troops were seeking retribution for the kidnap of a German…
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A few days before Christmas, 2024,Dennis Donovan, the last surviving member of the wartime 48 Royal Marine Commando, passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by his family, at the remarkable age of 100. In recent years, he has made several pilgrimages back to Normandy, with his final visit in June 2024 to commemorate the 80th…
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The above photograph is a rail track I pass over nearly every day. Yesterday, when I passed it, I had to think of all those who went on train journeys and never returned. The trains that travel over this rail track are comfortable, They have soft seats you can sit on, and some even have…
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When we think of Nazi concentration camps, our minds often conjure images of mass extermination, terror, and starvation. The haunting images of piles of corpses at Bergen-Belsen and the crematoriums of Auschwitz are etched into our collective memory. However, in the final years of the Third Reich’s vast concentration-camp system, the Nazis introduced a disturbing…
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Viewing images of the death and destruction wrought by the Holocaust can be deeply gut-wrenching. While it’s often said that a photograph speaks a thousand words, it’s equally valid that it can never tell the whole story. A photo captures only a single moment in time. This is one of the reasons I rarely share…
History of Sorts 