Germany
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The image above is from Episode 6 of Masters of the Air. In this scene, captured USAAF airmen are marched through the burning streets of a bombed German town. A furious mob of civilians, spurred on by a local party official, overpowers the guards and attacks the Terrorflieger (“terror flyers”). Most of the airmen are…
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It was Billy Joel’s 74th birthday on 9 May, and I was thinking about writing a piece about his musical history, going back to the times when he joined a band called “Echoes,” at age 16 to the times when he joined the bands “The Hassles” and “Atilla.” Then I came across a story which…
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(originally posted on November 1, 2021, My friend Norman Stone pointed the story out to me, sadly Norman passed away earlier this year) Hate is never good, it clouds judgement and mind. I am not only saying this to those who read this but more so to myself. I have written so many pieces about…
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(Trying out a new lay out, feedback is appreciated) Executive Summary On 20 July 1944, German Colonel Claus Schenk Graf von Stauffenberg placed a bomb in Hitler’s Eastern Front headquarters (Wolfsschanze / Wolf’s Lair) in East Prussia. The explosion injured but did not kill Hitler. The conspirators—an underground network of senior officers, diplomats, clergy, and…
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This is a long read, but it offers a compelling glimpse into daily life in the Netherlands during World War II. Despite the horrors, life continued—though not for everyone. Tragically, 75% of Dutch Jews were murdered during the Holocaust. Some of them had worked in the luxurious department store Bijenkorf and its affiliated store HEMA.…
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Arthur Seyss-Inquart gravely misjudged the Dutch population in believing they would embrace Nazi ideology. While a minority in the Netherlands supported National Socialism, the vast majority rejected Hitler’s vision. Arthur Seyss-Inquart (22 July 1892–16 October 1946) was an Austrian Nazi politician who briefly served as Chancellor of Austria—from 11 to 13 March 1938—before the Anschluss,…
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The Nazi regime in Germany (1933–1945) is infamous for its industrial-scale atrocities, including genocide, war crimes, and systemic abuses of human rights. Among those complicit in these crimes were not only military officers and politicians but also scientists and physicians who abandoned medical ethics in favor of ideology and power. One such figure was Dr.…
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Nearly every time I write a post about a ”forgotten hero,” I get comments like, ”I didn’t forget about her!” or ”How dare you imply she has been forgotten.” These people, unfortunately, miss the point of the post. For some reason, they feel it was a personal attack on them. The heroes I write about…
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German citizens benefited from Nazi policies by taking over jobs previously held by Jews, acquiring Jewish-owned businesses, and participating in furniture auctions held in the homes of Holocaust victims. Acknowledging the complicity of ordinary individuals in state-sponsored crimes is crucial, as it underscores the unsettling reality that no one is inherently immune to the allure…