World War 2

  • It is often believed that the Austrians accepted the annexation lying down. For a big part that was true, however, not everyone was so enthusiastic about the “Anschluss.” Of Czech descent, Sindelar was born Matěj Šindelář in Kozlov, Moravia, then part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the son of Jan Šindelář, a blacksmith, and his wife Marie (née Švengrová). Despite occasional claims that…

    Read more →

  • ++++CONTAINS SHOCKING IMAGES+++++++++ Although the German army had one last offence left in them,it must have become quite clear to them that despite the early success during the Battle of the Bulge, the war was coming to an end and they would be at the losing side of it. Rather then accepting the inevitable in…

    Read more →

  • Bing Crosby sang “I am dreaming of a white Christmas” and made it sound like a magical event. However for the men stuck in the Belgian Ardennes, a white Christmas was probably the last thing they wanted.But they did get the snow, in fact it was one the coldest and harshest winters on record. Following…

    Read more →

  • Gandhi’s letters to Hitler

    Mohandas Gandhi, frequently known by the honorific Mahatma (meaning “great soul”), was famous for advocating civil disobedience and nonviolence to achieve his goals. Starting in 1921, Gandhi led the Indian independence movement through such methods, finally achieving freedom from the British empire in 1947, just six months before his death. Less known is Gandhi’s efforts…

    Read more →

  • The brave face of WWII

    Despite all the death and the destruction during WWII and the uncertainty of what the future would hold, so many people were still putting up a brave face and continued their daily lives as best as they could.Or defy the enemy even after being captured. The picture above was taken after a German bombing raid…

    Read more →

  • Hell in the Skies

    Flying a plane in normal circumstances is difficult enough, and flying that plane during bad weather—is bad. However, flying a plane while being shot at is like hell in the sky. Especially during World War II when there were no sophisticated systems on board like they have nowadays. The following are a few examples where…

    Read more →

  • The Hopevale Martyrs

      The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members. The American Catholic missionaries in Tapaz,Philippines probably could not be specified as vulnerable but the people they cared for were. additionally the missionaries themselves did not pose any threat themselves to the Japanese occupiers. The Hopevale Martyrs were Christian martyrs who…

    Read more →

  • If you’d to believe the media nowadays you would think that severe storms are a 21st century phenomena. However they have been around for quite a while. On 18 Dec 1944, divine intervention interfered with human action again. Admiral William Halsey and his Task Force 38 were caught unaware amidst refueling when Typhoon Cobra struck…

    Read more →

  • Happy Birthday Mr Stalin

    Don’t worry this is not a blog honouring Joseph Stalin, it is however looking at the relations between Adolf Hitler, and Joseph Stalin on Stalin’s 60th and 61st birthsay. On December 18 1939 Joseph Stalin received 2 telegrams from the Nazi leadership for his 60th Birthday, One from Hitler another on from Joachim von Ribbentrop,…

    Read more →

  • Battle of the Bulge

    On December 16, 1944, the Germans launched the last major offensive of the war, Operation Mist, also known as the Ardennes Offensive and the Battle of the Bulge, an attempt to push the Allied front line west from northern France to northwestern Belgium. The Battle of the Bulge, so-called because the Germans created a “bulge”…

    Read more →