Photo gallery: U.S. Army desert training with general George Patton (16 pics)
Photo gallery: U.S. Army desert training with general George Patton (16 pictures).
(latimes.com)
WWII shipwreck holding 71 tons of Platinum (worth $3 billion) located in Boston Harbor's back yard
Sub Sea Research LLC has located the worlds richest shipwreck, a WWII British Freighter carrying a secret cargo of 71 tons of Platinum sunk by a German U-Boat off the coast of Cape Cod. Sub Sea Research (SSR) spent months searching for the elusive ship, the Port Nicholson, torpedoed by German U-boat U87, June 1942. The Port Nicholson - a steel-hulled, 481 ft. merchant ship - was carrying two special envoy USSR agents overseeing the delivery of a very important Lend-Lease payment from the USSR to USA.
(prweb.com)
Documentary film in the works to chronicle comfort women's fight
A painful 20-year fight by Taiwanese women for dignity and for an apology from Japan after being driven into WWII sex slavery is being recorded in a documentary by a Taipei-based rights group. The short film aims to show that the women are no longer victims of the atrocities of the past, the Taipei Women's Rescue Foundation said. The project, which began in late 2010, has been a race against time as the surviving comfort women are all nearly 90 years old and two former comfort women have passed away since the project began.
(focustaiwan.tw)
My Way - a real WWII story of a Korean man who fought for the Germans - is the most expensive film ever made in South Korea
My Way - the most expensive film ever made in South Korea - is a fictionalized account of the real-life story of how a Korean man ended up fighting for the Germans in the Second World War and being found by American soldiers at the invasion of Normandy.
(wsj.com)
Allied Air Power in color photographs
Allied Air Power in color photographs (40 photos).
(life.com)
21% of young Germans do not know the name of Auschwitz or what happened there
A survey carried out two days before Holocaust Memorial Day shows more than a fifth of young Germans do not know the name of Auschwitz or what happened there. 21% of people aged between 18 and 30 quizzed about the most notorious Nazi extermination camp had not heard of it, the survey revealed. And almost half of all those canvassed by the Forsa research institute said they had never visited a concentration camp despite the fact Germany has made all of those on its soil permanent memorials to the dead.
(dailymail.co.uk)
Hitler at home: Color photos show rooms where the Fuhrer spent his quiet time
Gallery of color photos reveal rooms where the Fuhrer spent his quiet time.
(dailymail.co.uk)
Marshall and His Generals: U.S. Army Commanders in World War II by Stephen R. Taaffe
The U.S. Army entered WW2 with distinct assets and liabilities. On the debit side, it was small in terms of personnel. Much of its equipment was inferior to the Germans`. And its senior officers had no combat experience. At the same time, the Army had a cadre of senior professionals who had stayed with their chosen career through two decades of fiscal austerity and stagnant promotion. There was deadwood, too, but a new chief of staff, General George Marshall, had pressed for the retirement of the old and infirm. Historian Stephen R. Taaffe says this was the way to go: "The Army did not need brilliant generals who performed miracles on the battlefield, but rather competent men capable of taking advantage of American economic power [to achieve victory] with minimal losses."
(washingtontimes.com)
99-year-old Hitler painting called The Nocturnal Sea to be auctioned off
A painting by Nazi monster Adolf Hitler is to go under the hammer for the first time since he painted it nearly 100 years ago. The seascape is listed for sale by online auctioneers Darke in Slovakia is expected to sell for £10,000. Painted in 1913 while a young Hitler was struggling to make a career as an artist, the 24inch by 19inch canvas shows a dark sea lit up only by a moon about to be shrouded by black clouds.
(dailymail.co.uk)
Treblinka: Revealing the hidden graves of the Holocaust (article + podcast available until Jan 30)
When the Nazis left Treblinka in 1943 they thought they had destroyed it. They had knocked down the buildings and levelled the earth. They had built a farmhouse and installed a Ukrainian "farmer". They had planted trees, and lupins. But if they thought they had removed all evidence of their crime, they hadn't. For a forensic archaeologist, there is a vast amount to study. Now any doubts about the existence of mass graves at the Treblinka death camp in Poland are being laid to rest by the first survey of the site using tools that see below the ground.
(bbc.co.uk)
Documentary film: Sugihara - Conspiracy of Kindness -- How Japanese diplomat saved Jews
Chiune Sugihara was a Japanese diplomat based in Lithuania at the time of the Nazi extermination of European Jews. As an ally of Nazi Germany, Japan and its diplomats were expected to respect the policies of the Third Reich. Yet, when faced with requests from fleeing Jews for Japanese visas, in effect an escape from death, Sugihara acted on the basis of a morality that valued human life. He issued thousands of visas. This film tells the story of one man's efforts and the impacts. At a time when the Empire of Japan was engaged in genocidal killing in China, the imperial government nevertheless harbored Jews.
(theithacajournal.com)
Stalin's bronze death mask expected to fetch £5,000 at auction
The death mask of the Soviet leader Josef Stalin is set to fetch thousands of pounds at auction. The bronze mask was made from a cast of the Russian communist leader's face and hands, taken shortly after he took his last breath. It is thought to be one of only two of the masks to exist in the west (total of nine were made). The death mask is due to go on sale at Ludlow Racecourse, and is being sold by Mullock's auctioneers on behalf of a private owner. Mullock's historical documents expert, Richard Westwood-Brooks, said the bronze face and hands are incredibly rare.
(dailymail.co.uk)
Jews and historians divided over Mein Kampf reprint
As Holocaust survivors hit out at move, historians cheer news that Hitler's anti-Semitic manifesto Mein Kampf will be reprinted in Germany for first time since Nazi dictator's fall in 1945. Head of Central Council of Jews grudgingly gives his approval. British publisher Peter McGee said he would put out excerpts from Mein Kampf, which laid out the Fuehrer's vision long before he took power in 1933, alongside commentary putting the work in historical context. Academics said the time had come for some of the taboos surrounding the book in Germany to fall.
(ynetnews.com)
Forgotten Soldiers documentary film tells the story of the Philippines Scouts
Thanks to historians and Hollywood, we know about the Tuskegee Airmen and Navajo code talkers. We`re less familiar with the Philippine Scouts. With "Forgotten Soldiers" filmmaker Donald Plata is attempting to correct the record. Writer Chris Schaefer said the Scouts` story is so poorly understood in part because other war events overshadowed their heroic service: "And the press... wanted to emphasize the things that were working. The Battle of Midway was one. The Doolittle raid on Tokyo, even though it didn't do much damage, was a great PR thing. But we surrendered in the Philippines. As a result, (the Scouts') story has not gotten the attention, has not been talked about very much."
(nola.com)
World War II: The Book of Lists by Chris Martin
10 Technological advances of the war: Jet fighters, Assault rifles, Cruise missiles, Synthetic rubber, Radar, Penicillin, Walkie-talkies, Heated flying suits, Plasma, Spam.
Children go to war: Reginald Earnshaw – Lied about his age to join the merchant navy, claiming he was 15 (the minimum age to enlist). He was in fact just 14 when he was killed in a German aircraft attack in 1941. Reginald Earnshaw – Lied about his age to join the merchant navy, claiming he was 15 (the minimum age to enlist). He was 14 when he was killed in a German aircraft attack in 1941. Calvin Graham – Joined the US Navy at age 12 in 1942. Wounded at the battle of Guadalcanal. John Lucas – In 1942 Lucas enlisted in the US Marines giving his age as 17. He was in fact 14 and became the youngest ever recipient of the Medal of Honour. James Clark – Told the US draft board he was 18 and became a paratrooper at 13. He served for a year before being discovered and dismissed.
(express.co.uk)
Ostkrieg: Hitler's War of Extermination in the East by Stephen G. Fritz (book review)
Accounts of World War II usually portray officers of the Wehrmacht as "professionally competent, technically proficient, and above all, clean." As Stephen Fritz writes, the general theme of history books held that "not only had the army suffered from Hitler`s megalomania, constant interference, and poor strategic and operational judgments - its leaders had neither known of nor condoned the massive crimes committed against the Soviet civilian population." In Ostkrieg, Fritz argues the opposite was true: The Wehrmacht played a key role in furthering Nazi criminality, especially in the Soviet Union.
(washingtontimes.com)
The Sketchbook from Auschwitz includes 22 pages of drawings from an unknown prisoner with initials MM
Found hidden away in a bottle, the Auschwitz Memorial Museum has published sketches drawn by a prisoner at the Birkenau extermination camp. They provide a rare first-hand glimpse of life and death inside. The book is part of the museum's plans to launch a catalogue of 6,000 artworks in its archives. "The Sketchbook from Auschwitz" includes the 22 pages of drawings from an unknown prisoner whose initials were apparently MM. They represent a rare first-hand historical account of the Holocaust - being the only work of art made in Birkenau that depict exterminations.
(spiegel.de)
Red Tails (film review) - In the cockpits with Tuskegee Airmen
War is raging across Europe in 1944, but black fighter pilots in Italy aren`t seeing any of the action. Although they have completed the Tuskegee program and are qualified to fly, the military deems them unfit for real missions based on their skin color. When their commanding officer, Colonel A.J. Bullard, gets them a mission to guard bombers, the squadron rises to the task and proves their mettle. Director Anthony Hemingway is not unafraid to go inside the cockpit and show his wounded pilots fighting for life.
(collider.com)
Unit 731 - Am American cover-up of unspeakable World War II cruelty
Ishii`s Unit 731 had a goal: To develop biological weapons to use against Japan`s enemies. Unit 731`s employees chatted about cutting, chopping, carrying, stacking, burying and burning their human test subjects. Once the war was over Colonel Murray Saunders, a Ft. Detrick military officer tasked to uncover information about Japan`s biological warfare program concurred, recommended that General Macarthur offer Unit 731`s perpetrators immunity. While other war criminals were brought to trial and then executed, most of Unit 731`s employees went on to lead normal lives and careers.
(topsecretwriters.com)
Hitler's Wolfsschanze bunker available to rent for £90,000 from Polish Forestry Commission
Adolf Hitler`s Wolf's Lair, a huge fortified base in the Polish countryside, has been put up for rent. Known as the Wolfsschanze, the 13-hectare site, in the Masurian woods near Ketryn, is on the market for £90,000 a year. During WWII, the site was used as a command post for Operation Barbarossa, the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. It housed 2,000 security personnel, as well as members of the Nazi high command, including Hermann Göring, Martin Bormann, Wilhelm Keitel and Alfred Jodl. The lease on the land, which is owned by the Polish Forestry Commission (PFC), has recently expired and new tenants are being sought.
(huffingtonpost.co.uk)
Sweden to open new investigation into what happened to WW2 hero Raoul Wallenberg
Sweden will open a new investigation into what happened to World War II hero Raoul Wallenberg after he was captured by the Soviets in 1945. Foreign Minister Carl Bildt has asked experts to look into whether any new material has emerged that could shed light on what happened to the Swedish diplomat. The new Swedish probe will be led by Hans Magnusson, who was involved in a similar effort together with Russian experts in the 1990s. Magnusson said he will start off by reviewing what information has emerged about Wallenberg since his last investigations and see whether there is anything new that can be done.
(freep.com)
Guernsey history group opens one more World War II German bunker, this time at Cobo
A Guernsey history group has explored a WWII German bunker which has been untouched since 1947. Festung Guernsey entered the structure at Cobo in January 2012 and were able to locate part of a weapon mount. "It's that excitement of opening up a bunker you know nobody's been in and there's the possibility of finding little bits and pieces," said Ian Brehaut, of Festung Guernsey. Festung Guernsey has documented a number of WWII fortifications around Guernsey. Brehaut said: "We're running out of sites to do, but there are one or two that still haven't been opened, so we'll wait and see."
(bbc.co.uk)
Graves of Japanese World War II soldiers exhumed in Guwahati, India
The remains of 11 Japanese soldiers killed in World War II are being exhumed at a war cemetery in the north-eastern Indian city of Guwahati. Three Japanese officials are in the city to take back the remains to Japan. "Guwahati is the only war cemetery among the nine war cemeteries in India which has war graves of Japanese soldiers," explained Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) regional manager Salew Pfotte.
(bbc.co.uk)
Push to honor Estonian SS Nazi unit which fought the feared Red Army sparks outrage
Plans are once again afoot in Estonia to honor as "freedom fighters" those who served in Estonian units of the Waffen SS. Similar past initiatives, which nationalists say are meant to pay tribute to those who pushed back the Soviet army, have failed. But new draft legislation to honor the Estonian SS members is being drawn up, and is expected to be introduced into the Estonian Parliament in March. In Germany, the project has been met with outrage. The Berlin Tageszeitung warns of "beatifying the SS." Despite such reflexes, it is worth taking a closer look at the Estonian initiative - for it is not an attempt to justify mass murder, but rather an understandable motion in the context of the small Baltic nation`s history.
(worldcrunch.com)