Holocaust
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This house was an orphanage for Jewish girls from 1861 to 1943.In 1889 the orphanage was extended to include the neighbouring house.On 10 February 1943, the girls and their attendants weredeported to the extermination camp Sobibor. They were supposed to have been deported before, but due to a scarlet fever outbreak on 4 July 1942,…
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In June 1940, following the fall of France, Nazi Germany turned its attention to the Channel Islands—British territories located in the English Channel. While most islanders across the archipelago chose to remain, the residents of Alderney, fearing an imminent occupation, made the fateful decision to evacuate. This unfortunate decision, while tragic for civilians, unwittingly aided…
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The July 20 Plot, also known as Operation Valkyrie, represents one of the most significant assassination attempts against Adolf Hitler during World War II. This bold initiative was led by a group of senior German officers who, driven by a mix of moral indignation and practical considerations, aimed to eliminate the Führer and put an…
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To gauge the feeling of the population on a particular subject, conducting an opinion poll is a powerful tool. Below are some polls taken in the United States just before and during World War II. Gallup poll conducted September 1-6, 1939. How far should we go in helping England, France and Poland … Yes No…
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Maastricht is one of the most beautiful cities in the Netherlands. It’s in the southeast of the country in the Province of Limburg. It is very dear to me. I was born only a few miles away from it, but it is the city where my father was born. A few years after the war,…
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Some may consider this blog contentious and controversial, but you can’t write about World War II and the Holocaust without writing about Hitler’s first book. The original title was Viereinhalb Jahre (des Kampfes) gegen Lüge, Dummheit und Feigheit, which translates to Four and a Half Years [of Struggle] Against Lies, Stupidity and Cowardice. Max Amann,…
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Bernard Henri Piller was born in Maastricht on 8 February 1932 and murdered by the Nazis in Auschwitz on 23 September 1943. He reached the age of 11 years. Henri Samuel Piller was also born in Maastricht on 15 April 1935. The nazis murdered him at Auschwitz on 23 September 1943 at the tender age…
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The one thing I can’t come to terms with, and even refuse to come to terms with, is the murder of babies during the Holocaust. I know one of the reasons behind it was the purification of the Aryan race. But, how pure are you as a race when you murder babies? Another reason was…
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It always amazes me how easy it was for some Europeans to give up their Jewish neighbours. I know it’s easy for me to say that in retrospect, because I don’t know how I would have reacted if put in that situation. But I have a feeling I would have spoken out about it the…
History of Sorts 