World War 2
-
They grew not in gardens,nor fields brushed by spring,but in the hush between heartbeats,where grief has taken wing. Each one, a tender blossom —a smile just barely sown,a laugh that caught the morning,a dream not fully grown. They plucked them from the sunlight,before they knew the rain,before they tasted birthdays,or danced away the pain. Petals…
-
Witold Pilecki stands as one of the most courageous and selfless figures of the 20th century. A Polish cavalry officer, intelligence agent, and resistance leader, Pilecki did what few could even imagine: he voluntarily infiltrated the Auschwitz concentration camp to gather intelligence and organize resistance from within. His mission was unparalleled in both bravery and…
-
I had a great interview with Kevin Harrison, a budding author, about his book- Churchill’s ACES – Sealion Returns-. We discussed how difficult it is for new authors to get a book published nowadays, but also of course about his book and the inspiration behind it. Operation Sealion was the plan by Nazi Germany to…
-
I saw a Holocaust picture in the shape of jigsaw earlier today, which inspired me to write this poem. I don’t know of there were any jigsaws in Auschwitz, but the thought intrigued me. In a corner of barrack, cold and bare,Lay pieces of cardboard, torn with care—A jigsaw, faded, frayed with time,A scattered prayer…
-
The Nazi regime, targeted numerous groups during its reign from 1933 to 1945. Among those persecuted were Jehovah’s Witnesses, a Christian denomination whose beliefs and practices placed them in direct opposition to Nazi ideology. Unlike many other victims of the regime, Jehovah’s Witnesses were not targeted based on race or ethnicity, but because of their…
-
The Holocaust did not start at the start of World War II, although this is what many people believe. The foundation for the Holocaust, was laid out long before that. There had been Anti-Semitism in Europe and other parts of the world for centuries. However, during the Weimar Republic in Germany, the seeds were planted…
-
North Holland was the only province to have a Regional Sabotage Division (GSA). This was a resistance unit within the Internal Forces (Binnenlandse Strijdkrachten), composed of experienced members of the Ordedienst (OD), the Raad van Verzet (RVV), and the Landelijke Knokploegen (LKP) under the command of Colonel Wastenecker. The GSA was involved in seizing and…
-
I cannot decide which is worse, the crimes of Auke Bert Pattist or his remorselessness. Also, the fact that some people saw him as a hero—depresses me. Auke Bert Pattist was born in 1920. In 1943 he voluntarily entered the Waffen-SS. As an officer, he would be involved in arresting and ill-treating a large number…
-
The Sachsenhausen concentration camp, located in Oranienburg, Germany, was one of the key sites in the Nazi system of terror. Established in 1936, it became a training ground for SS officers and a model for other camps. Over the course of its operation, Sachsenhausen held more than 200,000 prisoners—including political opponents, Jews, Roma, Soviet prisoners…
-
Many Eastern European nations are diverting their guilt in the Holocaust by saying that they were occupied. To me, that is like the German Nazis saying “We didn’t know.” Croatia cannot claim they were occupied. The Independent State of Croatia was ruled by the Croatian fascist Ustaša movement. The Ustaša immediately embarked on a campaign…
History of Sorts 