Hitler's Third Reich and World War II in the News is a daily edited review of WWII news, providing thought-provoking collection of hand-picked WW2 information.

Recent WWII news and articles

Member of the Hitler Youth shares lessons learned     fayobserver.com :: 2009-10-31
George Michelson recalls his first lesson in democracy: In 1950s his commander in the U.S. Army was telling troops that German children were forced to pray to Hitler. Michelson knew that was false, because he had been a member of the Hitler Youth. He disputed the captain, who apologized in front of the unit and thanked Michelson for speaking up. Michelson said he realized that would have been impossible in Nazi Germany. "I learned to see the difference between America and Nazi Germany. I didn't embrace democracy early on because I didn't know what it meant." When Michelson turned 10 he signed up for the Hitler Youth. The Nazi way of life was all he knew, and he supported it.     [HitlerJugend - Hitler Youth]

An anthrax bomb tested in south Wales during the Second World War     bbc.co.uk :: 2009-10-31
MP Nia Griffith is demanding reassurances that nothing remains of an anthrax bomb tested in a south Wales estuary near Llanelli. There have been fears about water quality and the death of cockles in the Burry estuary. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) said there was no contamination after the experiment in 1942. The trial to test the biological weapon emerged in an article by historian Gerald Grant. A spokesman for the MoD said: "The Gower coast was often used for munition testing during WW2. However, a bacterial weapon was only tested once, in 1942, when a 30lb bomb charge with anthrax spore was dropped from a Blenheim aircraft at 5000 feet."     [Chemical Warfare of WWII]

Memoirs of Hitler's adjutant Fritz Darges, Knights Cross winner in SS panzer division Wiking, to be published     telegraph.co.uk :: 2009-10-30
Fritz Darges, the last SS aide and the last surviving member of Adolf Hitler's inner circle, has died with orders for his memoirs to be published. He joined the SS in 1933, and by 1936 he was the senior adjutant to Martin Bormann. "I first met the Führer at the Nuremberg party rally in 1934... he was warm-hearted." After serving in the Waffen SS panzer division Wiking - winning the Knights Cross - he was promoted on to the Fuhrer's personal staff in 1940. "It was a very familial atmosphere at the Berghof. One time we went off to Italy with Eva Braun and her sister Grete." - "As adjutant I was responsible for his day-to-day programme. I must, and was, always there for him, at every conference... I must say I found him a genius."     [Adolf Hitler]

World War II ordnance cleared in Solomon Islands     scoop.co.nz :: 2009-10-29
The Australian Defence Force has finished the latest in a series of deployments in support of Operation "Render Safe" - to clear the Solomon Islands of unexploded ordnance left behind after the fierce combat between allied and Japanese forces during the Second World War. Using data from a previous survey by the hydrographic ship HMAS Melville, the minehunters Gascoyne and Yarra worked in the waters off the island of Shortland Harbour in the Solomon Islands, locating 16 explosive objects on the seabed using the mine detection systems. The Ship's clearance divers disposed the ordnance, which ranged from artillery shells to a large British Mark IV Sea Mine.     [World War II Bomb threats]

Last Nazi hit man Heinrich Boere goes on trial in Germany     spiegel.de :: 2009-10-28
Nazi hunter Ulrich Maass is a satisfied man: Nazi assassin Heinrich Boere, who he has been chasing for years, finally goes on trial in a German court. Boere, a member of the SS Sonderkommando Feldmeijer, is charged with killing 3 Dutch citizens in retaliation for anti-German actions by the resistance. It will be one of the last Nazi war crimes cases, along with the trial of Nazi guard John Demjanjuk. Boere served 2 years with a Waffen SS division on the Eastern Front. It made him indifferent to violence: "We would eat our lunch sitting on top of dead Russians. The resistance to me were the enemy."     [Most wanted Nazis: Nazi war criminals at large]

British war hero, who helped free France, was told to 'go home' by French General Charles de Gaulle     dailymail.co.uk :: 2009-10-28
Parachuted behind Nazi lines on a mission to train French resistance fighters, he was a World War II hero. Captain Peter Lake trained members of the Maquis - rural resistance fighters - in sabotage and guerilla warfare and was decorated by the French and the British. So when Lake faced General Charles de Gaulle - the leader of the Free French Forces - he expected a warm welcome. De Gaulle - whose country had been liberated only 3 weeks earlier with help from the likes of Lake - questioned what the British officer was doing in France and told him: "We don't need you here. It only remains for you to leave... You too must go home. Return, return quickly. Au revoir."     [French Resistance]

Last German surrenders -thread in Axis History Forum     forum.axishistory.com :: 2009-10-27
So you thought the German Army called it quits on May 7 1945? Well, they did. On orders of Großadmiral Karl Dönitz - Führer after Adolf Hitler's suicide on April 30 in his bunker in Berlin - the German High Command signed the unconditional surrender of the German armed forces in Rheims, a performance which was to be repeated a few days later in Berlin in order to appease Soviets. At that point, the majority of Wehrmacht, Waffen-SS and Volkssturm had already surrendered. But in the East, German commanders often refused to comply to the terms of surrender and continued to fight on to get their troops to the West where they could surrender to the American or the British army.     [End of WW2 - Aftermath]

Lieutenant-Colonel Norman Field trained and led Auxiliary Units (Churchill's Secret Army)     telegraph.co.uk :: 2009-10-27
By mid-1940, the defences of Poland, Norway, France and the Low Countries had been overran, and Wehrmacht appeared to be ready to invade England. Pill boxes, barbed wire and tank traps began to appear on the British beaches. The War Cabinet realized the need for guerrilla troops, and formed Auxiliary Units under Colonel Colin Gubbins. A small number of officers was given the task of recruiting the most promising local men and forming them into patrols. In the event of a Nazi invasion, these men were to move to Operational Bases underground (mines, tunnels) - armed with gelignite, oil bombs, magnesium incendiary bombs, pistols, revolvers and hunting knives.     [Special Forces & Missions of WWII]

Grandson of Rudolf Hoess tries to sell SS memorabilia to Yad Vashem     thebulletin.us :: 2009-10-26
The offices of Yad Vashem got an infuriating proposal. The grandson of Rudolf Hoess, the commander of the Auschwitz death camp, offered to sell some of his grandfather's personal items. The letter to the museum, entitled "Rare objects, Auschwitz, Commander Hoess," was short: "These are several objects from the estate of Rudolf Hoess, the commander of Auschwitz: A massive, fireproof box with official insignia - a gift from Henrich Himmler, the commander of the SS... slides from Auschwitz that have never been seen publicly, letters from his period of imprisonment in Krakow. I would be very grateful for a brief answer. Sincerely, Reiner Hoess."     [Nazi Relics: Personal items of leaders]

Farewell to Spandau by Tony Le Tissier (book review)     washingtontimes.com :: 2009-10-25
In "Farewell to Spandau" the last British Governor of Spandau Allied Prison puts the record straight about the last years of Rudolf Hess, and his suicide while in Allied custody. Lt. Col. Le Tissier authentically counters the many allegations and conspiracy theories, like that the prisoner was an imposter, that he was kept in isolation, and that he was murdered. Hess had access to TV, but was not allowed to see any programs dealing with the Second World War or of course with himself. Great care was taken to provide him with suitable clothes, comfortable chairs, a record player and even a film projector so he could see home movies of his grandchildren. [Buy from Amazon: US, UK, CA, DE, FR]     [Rudolf Hess - Debuty Fuehrer]

Stalin's Grand Design to start World War II -thread at Axis History Forum     forum.axishistory.com :: 2009-10-25
Stalin's Grand Design to start WWII -thread at Axis History Forum includes some interesting (but highly controversial) documents (from Soviet archives). Stalin's speech: "The experience of the last 20 years has shown that in peacetime the Communist movement is never strong enough to seize power. The dictatorship of such a party will only become possible as the result of a major war... Our war plan is ready ... We can begin the war with Germany within the next two months ... The peaceful policy secured peace for our country ... Now, however, with our reorganized army, which is technologically well prepared for modern warfare... we must now go from defense to attack."     [Stalin]

A guide to (Nazi) Germany's darkest places     spiegel.de :: 2009-10-24
Wewelsburg, SS leader Heinrich Himmler's nazi castle. --- Nazi Party Rally Grounds in Nuremberg. The backdrop for Leni Riefenstahl's documentary film "Triumph of the Will." --- Wannsee Conference House, where the Nazi leadership met in 1942 to discuss the Final Solution to the Jewish question. --- The Last Submarine: U-995 is the last surviving Type VII- C/41 submarine, and the mother of all German u-boats. --- Dachau Concentration Camp. The list of Nazi concentration and death camps is harrowing: Auschwitz, Bergen-Belsen, Treblinka, Majdanek, Buchenwald... But for all of them, there was a model. And that model was Dachau, the first nazi camp, opened in March 1933.     [Ruins & Bunkers of Third Reich]

Although the articles linked from Adolf Hitler's Third Reich 1933-1945 and World War II in the News are reviewed and specially selected, they do not necessarily represent the views of the editor, who is not responsible for the content of any external sites. This service is © Joni Nuutinen 2005-2009. All rights reserved.