Germany
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Simon Wiesenthal was born on December 31, 1908, in Buczacz, a town then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (today in western Ukraine). He was the eldest of four children in a Jewish family. His father was a teacher, and Wiesenthal grew up in an environment that valued education and community involvement. He pursued studies in…
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Heinrich Himmler, one of the most infamous figures of the Nazi regime, was born on October 7, 1900, in Munich, Germany. As a leading member of the Nazi Party and head of the SS (Schutzstaffel), Himmler played a pivotal role in orchestrating the Holocaust and implementing policies that led to the genocide of six million…
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On December 9, 1946, an American military tribunal opened criminal proceedings against 23 leading German physicians and administrators for their willing participation in war crimes and crimes against humanity. The Chief of Counsel for the Prosecution was Telford Taylor, and the chief prosecutor was James M. McHaney. In his opening statement, Taylor summarized the crimes…
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Jakiw Palij, an in Poland born man who immigrated to the United States after World War II, became one of the most controversial figures in the pursuit of justice for Holocaust atrocities. His life story reflects the enduring pursuit of accountability for those who played a role in the Holocaust, even many decades after the…
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For Hitler to accomplish his goals, he needed the support of men who were equally as evil as he was. His most willing henchman was Joseph Göbbels. Paul Joseph Göbbels was born on October 29, 1897, in Rheydt, Germany, an industrial city in the Rhineland. Because of a club foot that he acquired during a…
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I am not suggesting that charity is a bad thing—quite the opposite. However, some charities are not what they appear to be. During World War II, for example, several organizations operated under the guise of charity. One such case was Winterhulp in the Netherlands, which was more focused on propaganda than on genuinely helping people.…
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Dated 16 September 1919, the ‘Gemlich letter’ is the first known written statement of Hitler’s Antisemitism. It a letter written by Adolf Hitler at the behest of Karl Mayr to Adolf Gemlich, a German army soldier. The letter, written in 1919 in response to a request for clarification on the Jewish question. (Karl Mayr in uniform…
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The Malmédy Massacre: A Tragedy of War and the Story of Survival The Malmédy Massacre, which occurred during the Battle of the Bulge on December 17, 1944, stands as one of the most heinous war crimes committed by German forces during World War II. This event, marked by the ruthless execution of unarmed American prisoners…
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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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The Ritchie Boys were a group of military intelligence officers and enlisted men of World War II trained at Camp Ritchie in Maryland, USA. Many of them were Jewish refugees who had fled Nazi Germany and other Axis countries. They were primarily recruited from immigrant communities in the United States, particularly those who spoke German,…
History of Sorts 
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