History
General history issues, although a lot will be about WW2
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On April 15,1945 the 63rd Anti-tank Regiment and the 11th Armoured Division of the British army liberated about 60,000 prisoners at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp. One of the soldiers, 21 year old Corporal Ian Forsyth, called it “A place of darkness and death.” What the British troops encountered was described by the BBC’s Richard Dimbleby,…
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Helmut Kleinicke was a German engineer who supervised construction projects at Auschwitz—but unlike many in his position, he quietly and courageously saved Jewish lives from the gas chambers. Born in 1907, Helmut grew up immersed in nature in the forests of Lower Saxony, where his parents worked as forest rangers. He later studied civil engineering…
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The night of April 14, 1865, marked one of the darkest moments in American history—the culmination of a calculated conspiracy that aimed to decapitate the leadership of the United States government during the final days of the Civil War. While President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination at Ford’s Theatre is the most remembered event from that night,…
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Leo was born on May 31, 1925, in Manhattan to Max and Mollie Lichten. He grew up in Brooklyn, and was described by his best buddy Paul as a “very noble, intelligent and courageous person.” He even saved Paul from drowning once when they were kids. A best buddy indeed. Pfc Leo Lichten entered the service in New York.City, New York on 11 August 1943. Leo’s company, Company…
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On May 7, 1945, Life Magazine published a harrowing series of photographs revealing the atrocities uncovered by American troops as they advanced through Germany in the final days of World War II. Among them was the photograph below, depicting the charred remains of concentration camp prisoners who were burned alive inside a barn near the…
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On April 12, 1943, the Dutch steam merchant ship Ulysses was sunk by German submarine U-563 while part of convoy HX-232 in the North Atlantic. The attack occurred between 04:38 and 04:46 hours, approximately 550 miles east-southeast of Cape Farewell, Greenland. U-563 fired five torpedoes, resulting in the sinking of Ulysses and another ship, Pacific…
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Nobuo Fujita was a Japanese naval officer and aviator who holds a unique place in World War II history—as the only person to conduct an aerial bombing of the continental United States. His story, however, goes far beyond this singular event, evolving into a remarkable tale of reconciliation, peace, and personal transformation. The War Years…
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In Auschwitz, where shadows fall like heavy stones,And darkness reigns in the heart of despair,Amidst the echoes of silent groans,A solitary sparrow dared to share. Through barbed wire and sorrow, it flew,A fragile beacon of hope untamed,Its wings of freedom, a whispered clue,In a world where humanity was maimed. In the midst of anguish, it…
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Buchenwald was one of the largest concentration camps established by the Nazis, located near Weimar, Germany. It was operational from 1937 until its liberation on April 11, 1945, by American forces. When the American soldiers arrived at Buchenwald, they were shocked by the appalling conditions they encountered. The camp was overcrowded, with thousands of emaciated…
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I came across this death notification of Jacob Rosenboom. The reason why it drew my attention was the date. Jacob died on 10 April 1968, the very day I was born. Then when I did more research, I discovered that Jacob had lived in my hometown of Geleen in the Netherlands. The Rosenboom-Wolf family lived…
History of Sorts 
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