wwii
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Maarten Kuiper stands as a stark reminder of the complexities and moral ambiguities faced by individuals during the tumultuous times of World War II. Born on January 30, 1907, in Amsterdam, Kuiper’s early life was unremarkable, characterized by a series of ordinary professions including that of a sailor and a police officer. However, his later…
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I am a great believer that people should investigate their past before they pass judgment on others. There were many Dutch who did good during World War II; many risked their lives and sometimes gave their lives to help or save their Jewish neighbors. However, on the other hand, there were also many, and probably…
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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 graph above shows the estimated breakdown of the people murdered during the Holocaust. It is an estimated number because no one knows the exact number. The estimates are compiled by “Statista” a leading and very reputable statistics provider. The estimated number they have come up with is 17,458,900. Personally, I think that number is…
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++++++++++++++CAUTION: CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES++++++++++++++++ When Dwight D. Eisenhower entered Ohrdruf Concentration Camp after it was liberated, he had the foresight to document the horrors he saw with his own eyes. Ohrdruf was liberated on 4 April 1945, by the 4th Armored Division, led by Brigadier General Joseph F. H. Cutrona, and the 89th Infantry Division.…
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Salo Muller is a Dutch physiotherapist, author, and Holocaust survivor known for his efforts in seeking justice and compensation for Holocaust victims. He was born on February 29, 1936, in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Salo Muller’s early life was profoundly affected by the Holocaust. His parents, who were Jewish, were deported and murdered in Auschwitz when he…
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(First published in 2019) Ireland remained neutral throughout World War II, but that is not to say there was no contribution from the Irish during the war. Many young Irish men did join the British army and also partook in Operation Overlord, more commonly known as D-Day. However, this blog is not about any of…
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The “German Instrument of Surrender” actually refers to two documents. The first was signed in Reims, France, on May 7, 1945, and the second—a more formal “definitive” version—was signed in Berlin on May 8, 1945, to satisfy the Soviet Union’s demand for a ceremony in the captured German capital. Below is the text of the…
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On 4 May 1945, the German Admiral Von Friedeburg at Lüneburg surrendered to British Field Marshal Montgomery on behalf of the German troops in Northwest Germany, the Netherlands, Schleswig-Holstein, and Denmark. On 5 May, Canadian General Charles Foulkes summoned the German Supreme Commander Johannes Blaskowitz to Hotel De Wereld in Wageningen to discuss the effect…
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Before you read this blog, have a close look at the above picture. It is a picture of an SS soldier, and you have probably seen many pictures like it, but there is something special about this one.On the sleeve on the left arm, at the left bottom, you can see part of a flag,…
History of Sorts 