TLW History Thread

[KMD7]

If you fancy watching it again or if anybody else does,here is a link for all 26 episodes.

 

 

Watch The World at War online (TV Show) - on 1Channel | LetMeWatchThis

 

Cheers mate will check it out. Would be brilliant to get the entire collection on dvd as well

[VladimirIlyich]

Part of my growing up watching this on a Sunday afternoon . Epic series in all senses of the word

 

Ditto.

Mind you watching the episodes on the battles on the Pacific Islands of Guam,Okinowa and Iwo Jima where bodies floated in their hundreds in the sea was hardly comfortable viewing,even if it was fascinating for a kid.

[RedBrian84]

Medievalist by trade, specifically British.

 

 

However I love pre-Romano Britain and the country in the wake of the withdrawal. I did my MA in Military History with a focus upon the Napoleonic Wars and Edwardian castle building in North Wales.

 

History is fucking boss.

[Chip Butty]

Some great cinema based on this battle and none more so than the German film of the same name made in 1992.

Give it a watch if you havent seen it before.

 

Seconded, it's one of the best war movies I've ever seen.

Stalingrad (1993) - IMDb

 

Much appreciated gents, I'll definitely be giving that a whirl.

[Skidfingers McGonical]

Seconded, it's one of the best war movies I've ever seen.

Stalingrad (1993) - IMDb

 

Will try and get on to this as soon as I can.

 

I have been listening to Alexi Sayle's "Stalin Ate My Homework" on audiobook and I have become very intrigued aout watching stuff like this as he talks about his parents making him watch comuinust propaganda movies and taking him around the communist states before he left Liverpool.

 

Stalingrad gets a lot of mentions throughout when talks about his parents and their views.

 

Also did you know Sayle's Dad was the last witness to testify against the last man legally hung in this counry?

[Lee909]

Columbus's Santa Maria wreck 'found'

13 May 2014 15:09

 

A replica of the Santa Maria, the flagship of the Italian explorer's 1492 expedition

A US underwater investigator has said he believes he has found the wreck of the Santa Maria, the flagship of Christopher Columbus's famed expedition.

 

Barry Clifford said evidence "strongly suggests" a ruin off Haiti's north coast is the Santa Maria.

 

Mr Clifford's team has measured and taken photos of the wreck.

 

He says he is working with the Haitian government to protect the site for a more detailed investigation.

 

The Santa Maria, along with the La Nina and La Pinta, were part of Columbus's expedition in 1492, which explored islands in the Caribbean in an attempt to find a westward passage to Asia.

 

The flagship was lost during the expedition, shortly before Columbus returned to Spain.

 

"All the geographical, underwater topography and archaeological evidence strongly suggests that this wreck is Columbus's famous flagship, the Santa Maria," said Mr Clifford.

 

 

Columbus and his flaghip

 

 

• The Santa Maria left Spain in August 1492, along with La Pinta and La Nina, sailing westward

 

• It was the largest ship in the expedition, about 117ft (36m) long

 

• The ship ran aground on a reef near Haiti on Christmas Day, 1492

 

• Columbus told his crew to strip timbers from the ship to build an outpost or fort nearby, leaving sailors behind while he returned to Spain

 

• The fort, known as La Navidad, was found destroyed upon Columbus's return to the island he called Hispanola

 

Sources: Encyclopaedia Britannica, Smithsonian Magazine

 

 

"I am confident that a full excavation of the wreck will yield the first-ever detailed marine archaeological evidence of Columbus' discovery of America," he added.

 

Mr Clifford said he identified the potential location of the Santa Maria through earlier archaeological findings that pinpointed a likely location for Columbus's fort - a building that experts always thought was erected near to where the ship ran aground.

 

He also used information from the explorer's diary, and a recent diving mission near the site further burnished Mr Clifford's belief the wreck was the Santa Maria.

 

Mr Clifford told US broadcaster CNN the "smoking gun" was a cannon of 15th Century design found at the site.

 

A marine archaeologist who accompanied Mr Clifford on that mission told the newspaper there was "very compelling evidence" but an excavation of the site would be necessary to confirm the wreck's identity.

 

Further investigation will be supported by the government of Haiti and the History Channel, which plans to make a documentary programme about the wreck.

 

Mr Clifford is best known for the excavation of the first fullly verified pirate shipwreck, the Whydah

[Lee909]

Alhaji Grunshi

 

RSM Alhaji Grunshi DCM MM was the first soldier in British service to fire a shot in the First World War

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alhaji_Grunshi#Early_life

 

 

Just stumbled across this man and the fact he is the first British service person to fire a weapon in WW1

[Lee909]

 

PROFILE: SIMONE SEGOUIN

December 3, 2014 -

The 17 year old French resistance fighter known as “Nicole Minet” was a farm girl when the war broke out. A few years later in 1943 she joined the Franc Tireur Partisan Français (which translates to “free shooters”), which was named after the saboteurs who fought the Germans during the Franco-Prussian War.

The resistance was looking for unassuming women to act as liaison and messengers, as women were less likely to be suspected as members of the resistance than a man would be, and could go places her male counterparts couldn’t. After a short spell of being the group’s messenger, it was on a mission to destroy a bridge that Simone’s ability as a good fighter became apparent. The Partisans were to blow one of the bridges on the main Paris line, while Segouin was to guard the approaches to the bridge with a submachine gun (for which she would become famous). Due to her coolness under pressure she was later given a more active role within the Resistance.

 

In an article written by Jack Belden in Life magazine, he said of her;

“When I first saw her she was standing in the courtyard of the prefecture munching on two large chunks of bread smeared with a thick, unsavoury-looking jam. She neither cheered the hair-shearing nor flirted with the swarms of American correspondents… I went over and spoke to her. Pointing at her armband, I asked her what the letters FTPF meant. She looked at me a moment, bit into her sandwich, looked up at me again, gulped down a mouthful of food, then wiped her lips and said, “Franc Tireur Partisan Français.”

 

This unassuming young woman was a great asset and example of French spirit and resistance, and she would stay and fight with the partisans until France was free.

A French newspaper at the time described her as “one of the purest fighters of heroic French Resistance who prepared the way for the Liberation”. She was present at the fall of Chartres and at during the Liberation of Paris. Later she was promoted to lieutenant, and awarded the Croix de Guerre.

[Lee909]

John Robert Fox

Medal of Honor citation[edit]

For his "gallant and courageous actions, at the supreme sacrifice of his own life,"^[6] Fox was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. His widow, the former Arlene Marrow of Brockton, Massachusetts, received his medal from President Bill Clinton in a White House ceremony on January 13, 1997.^[7]On that day, Clinton also awarded the medal to six other previously neglected African American World War II veterans, including Vernon Baker, who was the only one living when awarded.^[8]

Citation:

For extraordinary heroism against an armed enemy in the vicinity of Sommocolonia, Italy on 26 December 1944, while serving as a member of Cannon Company, 366th Infantry Regiment, 92d Infantry Division. During the preceding few weeks, Lieutenant Fox served with the 598th Field Artillery Battalion as a forward observer. On Christmas night, enemy soldiers gradually infiltrated the town of Sommocolonia in civilian clothes, and by early morning the town was largely in hostile hands. Commencing with a heavy barrage of enemy artillery at 0400 hours on 26 December 1944, an organized attack by uniformed German units began. Being greatly outnumbered, most of the United States Infantry forces were forced to withdraw from the town, but Lieutenant Fox and some other members of his observer party voluntarily remained on the second floor of a house to direct defensive artillery fire. At 0800 hours, Lieutenant Fox reported that the Germans were in the streets and attacking in strength. He then called for defensive artillery fire to slow the enemy advance. As the Germans continued to press the attack towards the area that Lieutenant Fox occupied, he adjusted the artillery fire closer to his position. Finally he was warned that the next adjustment would bring the deadly artillery right on top of his position. After acknowledging the danger, Lieutenant Fox insisted that the last adjustment be fired as this was the only way to defeat the attacking soldiers. Later, when a counterattack retook the position from the Germans, Lieutenant Fox's body was found with the bodies of approximately 100 German soldiers. Lieutenant Fox's gallant and courageous actions, at the supreme sacrifice of his own life, contributed greatly to delaying the enemy advance until other infantry and artillery units could reorganize to repel the attack. His extraordinary valorous actions were in keeping with the most cherished traditions of military service, and reflect the utmost credit on him, his unit, and the United States Army.

[Lee909]

Barney Fushimi Hajiro

 

 

Military decorations and awards[edit]

Hajiro's military awards include:

•  Medal of Honor
•  World War II Victory Medal
•  Military Medal (United Kingdom)
•  Legion of Honor (France)

Medal of Honor citation[edit]

 

Hajiro in 2006

Hajiro's Medal of Honor recognized his heroism in frontline fighting in eastern France in 1944.^[2]

Hajiro's official Medal of Honor citation reads:

Private Barney F. Hajiro distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism in action on 19, 22, and October 29, 1944, in the vicinity of Bruyeres and Biffontaine, eastern France. Private Hajiro, while acting as a sentry on top of an embankment on October 19, 1944, in the vicinity of Bruyeres, France, rendered assistance to allied troops attacking a house 200 yards away by exposing himself to enemy fire and directing fire at an enemy strong point. He assisted the unit on his right by firing his 

automatic rifle

 and killing or wounding two enemy 

snipers

. On October 22, 1944, he and one comrade took up an outpost security position about 50 yards to the right front of their platoon, concealed themselves, and ambushed an 18-man, heavily armed, enemy patrol, killing two, wounding one, and taking the remainder as prisoners. On October 29, 1944, in a wooded area in the vicinity of Biffontaine, France, Private Hajiro initiated an attack up the slope of a hill referred to as "Suicide Hill" by running forward approximately 100 yards under fire. He then advanced ahead of his comrades about 10 yards, drawing fire and spotting camouflaged machine gun nests. He fearlessly met fire with fire and single-handedly destroyed two machine gun nests and killed two enemy snipers. As a result of Private Hajiro's heroic actions, the attack was successful. Private Hajiro's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty are in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon him, his unit, and the United States Army.

[11]

^{http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/442nd_Infantry_Regiment_(United_States)#Notable_members}

[Lee909]

Lauri Allan Törni/Larry Thorne

 

 

 

Fought for the Fins,Germans in WW2 and the US in  Vietnam 

 

Lauri Allan Törni (28 May 1919 – 18 October 1965), later known as Larry Thorne, was a Finnish Army captain who led an infantry company in the Finnish Winter and Continuation Wars and moved to the United States after World War II. He fought under three flags: Finnish, German (when he fought the Soviets in World War II), and American (where he was known as Larry Thorne) when he served in U.S. Army Special Forces in the Vietnam War.

 

 

During the battles at Lake Ladoga, Törni took part in the annihilation of the encircled Russian divisions inLemetti.

His feats during these engagements were noticed by his commanders, and toward the end of the war, he was assigned to officer training where he was commissioned a Vänrikki (2nd lieutenant) in the reserves. After the Winter War, in June 1941, Törni went to Vienna, Austria for seven weeks of training with the Waffen SS, and returned to Finland in July; as a Finnish officer, he was recognized as a German Untersturmführer.

Most of Törni's reputation was based on his successful feats in the Continuation War (1941–44) between theSoviet Union and Finland. In 1943 a famous unit informally named Detachment Törni was created under his command. This was an infantry unit that penetrated deep behind enemy lines and soon enjoyed a reputation on both sides of the front for its combat effectiveness. One of Törni's men was future President of Finland,Mauno Koivisto.The two served together during the Battle of Ilomantsi, which was the final Finnish-Soviet engagement of the Continuation War during July and August 1944. Koivisto participated in the battle as a soldier assigned to a reconnaissance company under the command of Captain Törni. Törni's unit inflicted such heavy casualties on Russian units that the Soviet Army placed a bounty on his head of 3,000,000Finnish marks. He was decorated with the Mannerheim Cross on 9 July 1944.

The September 1944 Finnish peace treaty with the Soviets required Finland to remove German troops from its territory and resulted in the Lapland War; also, much of the Finnish Army was demobilized along with Törni, leaving him unemployed in November 1944.^[12] In January 1945, he was recruited by a pro-German resistance movement in Finland and left for saboteur training in Germany, and to organize resistance in case Finland was occupied by the Soviet Union.The training was prematurely ended in March, but as Törni could not secure transportation to Finland, he joined a German unit to fight Soviet troops near Schwerin, Germany. He surrendered to American and British troops in the last stages of World War II and eventually returned to Finland in June 1945 after escaping a British POW camp in Lübeck, Germany.^[15]

As his family had been evacuated from Karelia, Törni sought to rejoin them in Helsinki but was arrested byValpo, the Finnish state police; after escaping, he was arrested a second time in April 1946, and tried for treason for having joined the German army.^[2] After a trial from October to November, he received a 6 year sentence in January 1947. Imprisoned at the Turkuprovincial prison, Törni escaped in June, but was recaptured and sent to the Riihimäki State Prison. Finnish President Juho Paasikivigranted him a pardon in December 1948.

 

Immigration to the United States

n 1949 Törni, accompanied by his wartime executive officer Holger Pitkänen, traveled to Sweden, crossing the border from Tornio to Haparanda (Haaparanta), where many inhabitants were of ethnic Finnish origin. From Haparanda, Törni traveled by railroad to Stockholm where he stayed with Baroness von Essen, who harbored many fugitive Finnish officers following the war. Pitkänen was arrested and repatriated to Finland. Remaining in Sweden, Törni fell in love with a Swedish Finn, Marja Kops, and was soon engaged to be married. Hoping to establish a career before the marriage, Törni traveled under an alias as a Swedish seaman aboard the SS Bolivia, destined for Caracas, Venezuela, where Törni met one of his Winter War commanders, Finnish colonel Matti Aarnio, who was in exile having settled in Venezuela after the war. From Caracas, Törni hired on to a Swedish cargo ship, the MS Skagen, destined for the United States in 1950.

While in the Gulf of Mexico, near Mobile, Alabama, Törni jumped overboard and swam to shore. Now a political refugee,^[18]

Törni traveled to New York City where he was helped by the Finnish-American community living in Brooklyn's Sunset Park "Finntown". There he worked as a carpenter and cleaner. In 1953, Törni was granted a residence permit through an Act of Congress^[that was shepherded by the law firm of "Wild Bill" Donovan, former head of the Office of Strategic Services.

 

 

United States Army

Törni joined the U.S. Army in 1954 under the provisions of the Lodge-Philbin Act and adopted the name Larry Thorne. In the US Army, he was befriended by a group of Finnish-American officers who came to be known as "Marttinen's Men."

With their support, Thorne was soon on his way into the Special Forces. While in the Special Forces, he taught skiing, survival, mountaineering, and guerrilla tactics. In turn he attendedairborne school, and advanced in rank; attending Officer Candidate School, he was commissioned as a 1st lieutenant in the Signal Corps in 1957.He later received a regular commission and a promotion to captain in 1960. From 1958-62 he served in the 10th Special Forces Group in West Germany at Bad Tölz, where he was second in command of a search and recovery mission high in the Zagros mountains of Iran, which gained him a notable reputation. In 1962 Thorne is shown as a lieutenant with the 10th Special Forces Group in a United States Army

 

 

Vietnam War and death

Deploying to South Vietnam in November 1963 to support South Vietnamese forces in the Vietnam War, Thorne and Special Forces Detachment A-734 were stationed in the Tịnh Biên Districtand assigned to operate Civilian Irregular Defense Group (CIDG) encampments at Châu Lăng and later Tịnh Biên.

During a fierce attack on the CIDG camp in Tịnh Biên, he received two Purple Hearts and a Bronze Star Medal for valor during the battle.^[1] This attack would later be described by authorRobin Moore in his book The Green Berets.

Thorne's second tour in Vietnam began in February 1965 with 5th Special Forces Group; he then transferred to Military Assistance Command, Vietnam – Studies and Observations Group(MACV–SOG), a classified U.S. special operations unit focusing on unconventional warfare in Vietnam, as a military advisor.

On 18 October 1965, he was supervising a clandestine mission during which his Vietnam Air Force CH-34 helicopter crashed in a mountainous area of Phước Sơn District, Quảng Nam Province, Vietnam, 25 miles (40 km) from Da Nang.^[1][25] Rescue teams were unable to locate the crash site. Shortly after his disappearance, Thorne was promoted to the rank of major.

In 1999, Thorne's remains were found by a Finnish and Joint Task Force-Full Accounting team^{[nb 3]} and repatriated to the United States following a Hanoi Noi Bai International Airportceremony that included Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Ambassador Pete Peterson.

Formally identified in 2003, his remains were buried on 26 June 2003 at Arlington National Cemetery, section 60, tombstone 8136,long with the Vietnam casualties of the mission recovered at the crash site.^[28]

 

 

 

Details of service

 

• The Finnish Army
  • 3 September 1938, military (reserve)
  • 1 March 1939, reserve corporal
  • 9 May 1940, reserve second lieutenant
  • 5 March 1942, reserve lieutenant
  • 27 August 1944, reserve captain
  • 6 October 1950, removed from officers list
• Finnish decorations:
  • 2 class medal of freedom, 26 July 1940
  • 1 class medal of freedom, 24 August 1940
  • 3rd class Cross of Liberty, 9 October 1941
  • 4th class Cross of Liberty, 23 May 1942
  • Mannerheim Cross, 9 July 1944
  • 1st Div. memorial cross
  • Defence Forces bronze medal
•  

German army, the Waffen-SS

 

• 18 May 1941, Untersturmführer (Nordost)
• 15 April 1945, Hauptsturmführer (Sonderkommando Nord)

 

• German decorations:
  • 2 class Iron Cross, 11 December 1943

 

 

 

United States Army

 

• 28 January 1954, enlisted
• 20 December 1954, Private First Class
• 28 April 1955, Corporal
• 17 November 1955, Sergeant
• 9 January 1957, Lieutenant (res.)
• 30 November 1960, Captain (res.)
• 16 December 1965, Major (res., posthumously)

 

 

United States Army decorations:

• Legion of Merit
• Distinguished Flying Cross
• Bronze Star
• Purple Heart (twice)
• Air Medal
• Army Commendation Medal
• Good Conduct Medal
• Vietnam Campaign Medal
• Vietnam Service Medal
• National Defense Service Medal
• Combat Infantry Badge
• Parachute Badge (Master)

[Lee909]

Long interview with Klavdia Kalugina,she was one of the youngest snipers in the army – at 17 she had already graduated from sniper school.

 

 

Klavdia Kalugina

 

Klavdia Kalugina, 1944

My name is Kalugina, Klavdiia Efremovna. Born in 1926. The war began when I was 15. I went to work at the "Respirator" munitions factory in Orekhovo-Zuevo. When the war started, we needed worker ration cards, which gave 700 g of bread. So I worked there, joined the Komsomol (Communist Union of Youth - trans.). On days off Komsomol members were required to attend classes for our secondary education. They were preparing us. Later, when we finished the secondary education, they said that a sniper school had opened. Many volunteered to attend it, and I also went there, being 17 years of age. That was in June 1943. I was the youngest at the school. Everyone was 18, and I was 17. They were thinking, should they turn me away or not? Decided that if I didn't fall behind, they would leave me at the school.

We started building a firing range. I wasn't from a rich family. I had chopped wood, and carried water, I was accustomed to such business, so I worked well. They let me stay, even gave me leave to visit home. When they started teaching us to shoot, but I couldn't do it. I would fire, and all I hit was "milk" (jargon term denoting a complete miss - trans.). Then Zinaida Andreevna Urantseva, our squad commander, started practicing with me individually. She taught me to shoot well. I graduated from the school, and those who graduated with good marks received American presents. My sniping partner was Marusia Chikhvintseva, from Izhevsk, Udmurtia. We were friends. And so they sent us, many girls, to the front on 1 March 1944.

A.D. That school had been formed in 1942?

Yes, the Komsomol TsK (Central Committee - trans.) organized that school. Uspenskaia submitted all our papers to the Komsomol TsK. The school chief was Kolchak, a Hero of the Soviet Union. Nikiforova was the political worker. All students were listed, and had notes below their names saying who lived with whom, personal data.

A.D. It looks like the program of studies took a little less than half a year, nine months?

Yes. Then we rode in cattle cars, with stoves. They couldn't get us all the way to the front, unloaded us. There was such a snowstorm, they gave us a truck to bring us closer to the front, to a reserve regiment. A truck! We carried it all the way on our backs, there was so much snow. So we got there. I don't remember how long it took, a day, two, three... It was a long time ago. They gave us camouflage coveralls. We wrapped bandages around our rifles. Early in the morning they fed us and gave us sandwiches to take with us: bread and American sausage. That was the entire dinner! And we went to the trenches. Everything was packed with snow, all communication trenches. We had to crawl. There were probably 12 of us, and Nadia Loginova (she would be wounded later) crawled toward the Germans to the no man's land, and the no man's land was mined. It was only the first day -- we were so afraid! We yelled loudly: "Nadia! Nadia! Here, here!" She returned and we continued on our way. We reached that trench, and it was all packed with snow. The snow had been falling for probably several days. Germans were out in the open clearing their trenches. You could probably kill even a dozen Germans on that day. But you see, killing a human being for the first time! We had different people, one was from the partisans -- Zina Gavrilova, another -- the secretary of our Komsomol organization -- Tania Fedorova. Marusia Chikhvintseva and I only watched. We just couldn't pull the trigger, it was hard. But others opened their count. And when we returned to our dug-out in the evening, started telling each other our experiences, Marusia and I couldn't say anything, and just kept reproaching ourselves throughout the night: "Cowards! Cowards! Why did we come to the front?" We were annoyed, why did they open their count, and we didn't? And so, the next day arrived. Germans had a breastwork and an embrasure for soldiers, and a table for a machine gun. So a German was clearing that machine gun emplacement. I fired. He fell, and was pulled back by his feet. It was my first German. Afterwards, both them and us cleared the snow during the nighttime. The snow melted quickly, then it became warm.

There was a lake in one place. Germans went there to wash, even in their underwear. So Zina Gavrilova fired, shot one. And Germans stopped going there to wash. We were already on the defensive, it was summer, June or May, and not everyone stood watch at her embrasure, because there was no movement among the Germans, or our movement either. We stood watches during the day, and soldiers watched during the nights, they slept in the daytime. And so Marusia and I placed our rifles at one embrasure and watched the German defenses from the breastwork. But the Germans also put a sniper to watch us. And so I was watching, observing during my shift (because the eyes would get tired), and Marusia said: "Let me take the watch now." She got up, it was a sunny day, and she apparently moved the lens. As soon as she got up, there was a shot, and she fell. Oh, how I cried! The German was 200 meters away from us. I screamed so loud it could be heard all over the trenches, soldiers ran out: "Quiet, quiet, or they'll open mortar fire!" But how could I be quiet? She was my best friend. We sat until the evening, and I kept crying all that time. Then we buried her. I remember there were many wildflowers. It was at Orsha, at the 3rd Belorussian Front. Later her grave was moved to Mogilev, that's where she had been born. Later Nadia Lugina was also wounded from among us. My second partner was also named Marusia, last name Guliakina.

We stood on the defensive throughout the summer: the fronts all around us were on the offensive, and we had such a solid defense. But one fine day (I don't remember the date, but not August: maybe June, maybe July) they sent us to the forward positions early in the day. There was an artillery bombardment, including "Katiushas". When a "Katiusha" fired, the uniform would flutter on your back. Then the soldiers attacked. Scouts made passages in the minefields. Soldiers were attacking, and we carried the wounded out. Once, I remember, we picked up some officer, he had a small suitcase. But we hadn't slept or eaten since four in the morning. I told him: "Drop the suitcase", what could he have in that suitcase? It was heavy to drag him with it! "I'm not dropping it, don't take me if you don't want carry me with the suitcase." Well, we carried him, what could we do? Only after the war I found out that there was a small violin in that suitcase. He didn't want to abandon it. He told me when we met. It was already in the evening, but Germans just couldn't be dislodged from their trenches. They told us girls to go there as well, also drivers and locals. Why? We reached the trench, but couldn't do anything, it was already getting dark. There remained very few people, just the girls and drivers. They told us to take all the wounded we could carry and return to our trenches. We couldn't take them all because there weren't enough of us. Germans finished off those that remained, they screamed so much! -- they were bayoneting them to death. They left us in our trench throughout the night. All minefields were cleared in front of us. I stood the watch there, could see nothing. Others were also standing watch, but I couldn't see them. I got so tired by 4 AM, couldn't take it anymore. The platoon commander Lieutenant Maskumian walked from one girl to the next, checking up. And we were all concentrating on listening. There had used to be minefields, barbed wire with various tin cans, if anything moved they would rattle. But now nothing could be heard. What if Germans attacked at night?

In the morning we got reinforcements -- Belorussians. Another bombardment, and everyone attacked. Reached the German trench, but it was empty. We had attritted them so much that they had left in the night. We barely chased them down at the Dnieper. Barely managed to catch up to them. We were on one side, and tanks were on the other. And from one side, where there was rye and a hill, and machine gun and a sniper were firing, not letting us raise our heads. Our regiment commander was Leonid Verdiukov.

 

A.D. What was the regiment?

1156th Regiment, 344th Rifle Division, 33rd Army. Then Verdiukov said: "Eliminate them." There were maybe 12 of us, we aimed, and of course eliminated them. Our soldiers were able to cross to the other side. We were crossing in the last boat, it capsized, and we fell in the water. Soldiers told us: "Girls, give us your rifles, we'll pull them out!"

No, I didn't tell everything. That hill. We attacked. Then we got pinned down by that machine gun and the sniper. The regiment chief of staff Aleksei Kitaev was next to me. He had a cap with a bright band. They shot him from the beginning. He got blue, fell down. We had been warned that before shooting we were supposed to pull out all wounded. I crawled to one wounded soldier, he had a stomach wound. I started picking him up, but his intestines immediately fell out. I didn't know what to do with them, so I said: "I'll go bring a medic." And crawled to another wounded, because I couldn't do anything with that one. And it was so hot! He was already getting black. Later, when we met, Zina Gavrilova told me: "I crawled to one wounded soldier, his intestines came out. He grabbed my hand and became stiff. I thought I wouldn't be able to pull my hand out. And he would probably say: one went away, another one won't pick me up either. He died, then I crawled to another one, and he also died." We crossed to the other bank. Our regiment commander Verdiukov was beating up some large German, a young guy. We asked: "Why are you beating him?" He said: "This is my neighbor, he is a Vlasovite." He killed him. Fedorova was wounded, Irina Gracheva was wounded -- many girls, I already forgot their names. Few of us remained. Marusia Guliakina was wounded again. I was shell shocked, but I didn't go to the medics, because there was blood all around, my uniform was punctured in many places, I was deaf. I thought: "Why would I go, what can they do for me? There are people without legs, without arms, blood covered, why would I go?" And I didn't go.

Then we moved on. Reached the Polish territory, and there we found ourselves not in an encirclement, but enveloped. We were quietly getting out of that encirclement. We had entrenching tools, mess tins, we tied them all together so they wouldn't make a sound. We got out of the encirclement, then we were transferred to the Leningrad Front. I can't tell you now how many kilometers, but we marched for a long time. German planes were bombing. There was such a dogfight above us once! Shell fragments were falling from the sky!

There was nowhere to sleep, we slept on the ground. And the bed -- Marusia and I put our padded jackets under us. Everyone was freezing. An accordion player once said: "Why don't you all dance, to get warm."

Once we found some house, it was completely empty. Everyone immediately lay down, but there was no room for me. There was one trough, a small one, used to chop cabbage. My choices were outside, on the second floor, or that trough. I lay down in the trough: I was small (157 centimeters tall) and skinny. It was uncomfortable. I would stretch my leg, someone would push me back, stretch my arm, someone would push me back again. Sleep wouldn't come, but I wanted to sleep anyway. In the morning someone started leaving, so I dived for that spot. Slept for a little while, and then we had to get up.

We reached the Baltic Sea. There was a ship burning. She burned for a long time. A German ship. German defense was right along the Baltic Sea. Ours was here, there was a no man's land. Then we attacked, the soldiers of the penal company went first. There were their bodies all over the field. When the wind was blowing from the field, you couldn't breathe. Then there was an offensive at Koenigsberg, we captured it. Then we were in the defense. We didn't participate in combat there, only in the defense. A sniper in general was supposed to be only in the defense. At the end of the war, they didn't take us anymore.

Then the war ended, German POWs marched for several days in formation. While we were in the trenches we weren't doing anything. They were feeding us. The prisoners marched for several days. I don't know now how many days that was. Then they transferred us to a forest, there was discipline there. We had nothing to do, so they had us build paths in the forest, with little borders, so we would be busy for the entire day.

A.D. What were you taught at the school?

They taught us tactics, how to shoot, how to camouflage. Also ballistics, how the bullet flies. Here it flies, here it hits -- I forgot everything already.

A.D. Sniping partner couples were formed at the school?

At the school. When we came as civilians, Marusia Chikhvintseva and I stood next to each other, so we remained partners with her.

A.D. And did you train as partners?

Yes.

A.D. So it seems that the entire group was sent to one sector of the front?

No. Many of us graduated, I couldn't say how many now, but they sent us to all fronts.

A.D. But your group was constant? You had six pairs, right?

About 12 of us, six pairs. Simultaneously. A squad was 10 soldiers, but there were more of us.

A.D. What was the total number of Germans you killed?

I don't remember, Germans killed in battle weren't counted, only in the defense.

A.D. How did you count the kills?

The commander in whose trench we were would write a note. And we would return with it.

A.D. Then it's not clear, what if you only wounded him?

Yes, it could be, but we counted as killed.

A.D. So if he fell, that's a kill?

Yes. How would you check?

A.D. What was the usual distance you fired from?

At the school or at the front?

A.D. At the front.

1200 meters, and 200 meters. Our lines were close. Once Germans attacked our trench and took some girls prisoner, and killed them there. They killed Klava Monakhova. Only one soldier survived, there was an abandoned dug-out, simply a hole in the soil covered with a ground-sheet with snow on top, he hid there. Germans held out for a day, so he spent the day there.

 

 

A.D. What was the standard distance from which you fired? Or an optimal one?

Well, what's there to say? The rifle could shoot two kilometers in a straight line. But you could observe up to 800 meters. At the school we fired at 200, and 300. There was night target practice. Different kinds of shooting.

A.D. Even at night?

Even at night. How else?

A.D. Did you shoot at night at the front?

No.

A.D. And in the moonlight?

No. As soon as it dawned we went to our position, as soon as it got dark we returned. We stayed not in the trenches, but at the regiment commander's command post.

A.D. How many shots did you fire from one position?

One. You couldn't do two.

A.D. Or else you'd get killed?

Of course!

A.D. So, in practice that would amount to one shot per day?

Yes, if you kill, otherwise you might not have even one.

A.D. And partners were always next to each other?

Yes, at arm's length. Together all the time. Some went outside the defenses, but we didn't. Why? Because minefields had to be cleared, and that was very difficult and dangerous for the sappers. Then again, we stood as soldiers in the daytime, while the soldiers were resting. There were fifty soldiers in a trench. Ten of them, no more, stood watch at night.

A.D. Those were the outposts?

Yes.

A.D. So you shot from the trenches of the outposts?

Yes.

A.D. And those you killed during an attack weren't counted?

No. We weren't even supposed to participate in attacks. But we did.

A.D. Did you deal somehow with that sniper who killed your partner?

How could you deal with him? The offensive began immediately afterward. We buried her, and then the offensive began. Maybe we dealt with him, but we had other concerns. I was so upset, it was so hard for me.

A.D. What else was important, besides excellent shooting, to be successful?

Camouflage! You had to hide yourself very well. They really pushed us at the school because of that. Sometimes you would sit down, but your entire body could be seen. You had to camouflage yourself so you couldn't be seen. Fit your surroundings. When we arrived during the snow, they gave us special coveralls.

A.D. And in the summer? Was your camouflage changed?

Green camouflage. There was no spotted one. They gave us green pants, green tunics. We were always wearing pants, not skirts. Winter pants in the winter, summer pants in the summer.

A.D. Did you use binoculars?

No, only the optical sight.

A.D. But the sight doesn't have a good field of view?

You could see 800 meters very well. You would sit there without moving, and if you moved, then you were noticed. A sniper would lie there quietly and see to the distance of two kilometers, 800 meters wide. He would observe everything. When I got tired, I would say "Marusia, I'm done," -- she would start observing. Because sniper's task was to eliminate commanders, machine gun emplacements, messengers that would be running around. They also had to be eliminated. Soldiers were not necessary, mostly -- officers, commanders. You would fire one shot, let go of the rifle, and lie there. You would wait until your partner fired her shot. When it became dark, we left our position. During the day we walked around, looked for a good spot to lie in wait. Sometimes picked a spot in front of our trenches. After picking a spot, took up the position when it was dark. Then we lay there without moving a muscle until the next evening, because you couldn't crawl away in the daylight. If there was an attack, that was different, then you would get up and run. Otherwise, you would lie in that spot to the end.

A.D. Did you have hand grenades?

Yes. We carried two hand grenades on our belt. One for the fascists, one for yourself, so you wouldn't be captured by the fascists. It was necessary.

A.D. Did you fire in the crosswind?

Yes, we were trained to do that. And firing at moving targets as well. Different things. Some fired, others spun those targets. At our school, there was one good trench, and one small one. God save you from being sent there, you would spend the entire day in the snow. After you returned, you would literally tear your foot bindings off your feet. Everyone's feet hurt.

A.D. Because you had to lie in the snow?

Yes. At the front we also lay in the swamps. Near Leningrad, there were only swamps. If a horse passed by, there was water under the hoofs. You would wash yourself with it, and even drink from that hoof print.

 

A.D. Did you have a regular Mosin rifle?

Yes, a three-line rifle (line=1/10 inch, 3 lines=7.62 mm - trans.) with a bayonet. Regular one. Always with a bayonet and an optical sight.

A.D. Why the bayonet?

Just in case, if you go on the attack. An entrenching tool, a mess tin, two grenades, ammo, first aid kit.

A.D. What was the farthest target you hit?

Near the Dnieper, a machine gunner and a sniper.

A.D. What was the distance there?

Across a field, they were sitting in a shed. Probably a kilometer, if not more. A target could be hit up to two kilometers.

A.D. You were attached to a regiment? A sniper squad was attached to a regiment?

To a regiment. A trench was given to us. That was the place we went until the offensive began. In a designated area.

A.D. What was the sense in that? If you couldn't occupy the same position?

There was a lot of room there. We had 500 meters, and there were two of us.

A.D. Could you be transferred from one regiment to another? Or there were no such cases? Always with the same regiment?

It happened. At first all of us were stuck into one regiment, the 52nd, thirty plus snipers. Afterward, 12 remained in the 52nd, 12 in the 54th, and 12 in the 56th. They split us up by squads.

A.D. Were there snipers in rifle platoons as part of TO&E?

You know, only one in the Leningrad Front at Koenigsberg, I remember him -- Aleksei (don't remember his last name), one man. We were brought there, he was alone. No, there was another Georgian, and another one, from Smolensk? There were four men at Leningrad.

A.D. They were the permanent snipers of the regiment?

Yes. Self-taught.

A.D. What were your relations with the local population?

After we crossed the Nieman, we girls were walking. There were husband and wife walking toward us, they seemed old back then, but now I would've said young, about 50, they were carrying milk. So they gestured to us -- drink. The girls refused, what if it was poisoned? I was uncomfortable that we were refusing, they were offering it from the bottom of their heart. So I said: "I'll drink it." And drank the milk, nothing happened to me. At Koenigsberg we were invited to someone, they set a nice table, treated us. Later we were invited again, ate bilberry with milk.

A.D. Did you take trophies?

I can tell you about trophies. Near Smolensk, you would come out at night, there would be the smell of ashes and only chimney flues were left standing. And in the daytime it was hot in July. If there were rags lying around, we would take off our boots, throw out our sweaty soiled foot bindings, pick something suitable, put them on, and be on our way. It was hard to carry what we had, we were barely walking ourselves, what trophies? Our scouts sometimes gave us chocolate. Not only gave us, once they set an entire table, there were all kinds of chocolate. They captured some stockpile of it, and invited us. So we stuffed ourselves with that chocolate.

- Antonina Aleksandrovna Kotliarova:

I once got a parcel during the war. It was sent to me personally by some engine driver. I forgot now. The commander took out the alcohol, but gave me the rest. They removed vodka from all packages, and gave the rest to the girls. There was food there.

A.D. Were there any signs, forebodings at the front?

My Marusia Chikhvintseva had a foreboding. She didn't want to go on watch. "I don't want to, I can't go today." But she didn't go the commander to ask him not to send her. And got killed. I live for her now.

Interview: Artem Drabkin Translated by: Oleg Sheremet
 

 

[halewood pete]

Some great posts here

[AngryOfTuebrook]

Does anyone know of any good biographies - books, films, or whatever - of Lyndon Johnson?  Considering he was such an important figure in many key events (civil rights; the Cold War; the Kennedy assassination; the "Great Society" ; the Vietnam war; the Apollo programme; etc.) he seems to get overlooked, sandwiched between JFK and Tricky Dicky.

 

 

[Tom R]

Fucking brilliant man this fella.

Highly recommend his autobiography.

 

Hard as a coffin nail.

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-30685433

[Lee909]

Just in the middle of watching the BBC 3 part documentary on the Nuremberg trials,its not bad and should lead to some interesting reading.

 

 

Did anyone know that Hermann Goering's brother was a anti-Nazi and helped Jews escape concentration camps and had contact with the Czech resistance?

He was arrested 4 times but ended up getting off with it due to Hermann's influence

 

 

Göring seemed to have acquired his godfather's character as a bon vivant and looked set to lead an "unremarkable life" as a filmmaker, until the Nazis came to power in 1933. Unlike his elder brother Hermann, who was a leading party member, Albert Göring despised Nazism and the brutality that it involved.

Many anecdotal stories exist about Göring's resistance to the Nazi ideology and regime. For example, Albert is reported to have joined a group of Jewish women that had been forced to scrub the street. The SS officer in charge inspected his identification, and ordered the group's scrubbing activity to stop after realizing he could be held responsible for allowing Hermann Göring's brother to be publicly humiliated.

Albert Göring used his influence to get his Jewish former boss Oskar Pilzer freed after the Nazis had arrested him. Göring then helped Pilzer and his family escape from Germany. He is reported to have done the same for many other dissidents.

Göring intensified his anti-Nazi activity when he was made export director at the Škoda Works in Czechoslovakia. Here, he encouraged minor acts of sabotage and had contact with the Czech resistance. On many occasions, Göring forged his brother's signature on transit documents to enable dissidents to escape. When he was caught, he used his brother's influence to get himself released. Göring also sent trucks to Nazi concentration camps with requests for labour. These trucks would then stop in an isolated area, and their passengers would be allowed to escape.

After the war, Albert Göring was questioned during the Nuremberg Tribunal. However, many of the people whom he had helped testified on his behalf, and he was released. Soon afterwards, Göring was arrested by the Czechs but was once again freed when the full extent of his activities became known.

In 2010, Edda Göring, the daughter of Hermann, said of Albert Göring in an article in The Guardian

He could certainly help people in need himself financially and with his personal influence, but, as soon as it was necessary to involve higher authority or officials, then he had to have the support of my father, which he did get.

Later life

Göring returned to Germany but found himself shunned because of his family name. He found occasional work as a writer and translator, living in a modest flat far from the baronial splendour of his childhood. Before his death, Göring was living on a pension from the government. He knew that if he was to get married, the pension payments would be transferred to his wife after his death. As a sign of gratitude, in 1966 Göring married his housekeeper so she could receive his pension. One week later, he died without having his wartime activities publicly acknowledged.

[KopOut]

He loved his dogs. Can't have been all bad then?

 

I'm joking of course

That's a lie. He was a vegetarian.

[gingerhulk]

Horrible Histories.

 

Even though its on CBBC, its brilliant. 

[Lee909]

War has given mankind many things: death, disease, and a collection of badasses who make John Rambo look more like Ned Flanders. These 10 everyday soldiers pulled off amazing feats and somehow managed to make history pretty exciting

 

Dirk J. Vlug

Not happy with his John McClane level of badass, he then killed the gunner of a second tank with his pistol and finished off the second tank with another rocket. Seeing three more tanks moving up the road, Vlug flanked the first and eliminated it. He pressed forward to destroy his fourth tank for the day. With the last round, he sent the final tank down a steep embankment. In all, he destroyed five tanks by himself.Dirk J. Vlug, born in 1916, served as a Private First Class in the 126th Infantry Division based in the Philippines. On December 15, 1944, Dirk’s unit and the roadblock they were protecting came under attack from a Japanese force. Leaving his covered position in a charge, with a rocket launcher and five rounds of ammunition, Vlug came under fire from machine guns. Despite this, he loaded the rocket launcher single-handedly, Vlug destroyed an enemy tank.L-5futureshox

 

 

 

Charles Carpenter

Lieutenant Colonel Charles Carpenter (“Bazooka Charlie” to his friends) was an observation pilot for the US during World War II. While he mostly flew reconnaissance missions, during the Allied siege of Lorient in 1944, Charles decided that he hadn’t seen enough combat and attached rocket launchers designed for foot soldiers onto his observation plane. Six of them. Naming the plane “Rosie the Rocketeer,” Charles used the aircraft on a series of attack missions which he ran solo, destroying as many as six enemy tanks and several armored cars by the end of the war. In an observation plane. With bazookas stuck on it.

 

 

James Hill

Hill had planned to force the enemy to retreat into a field of mines behind them which a group of Royal Engineers were to set up, but a faulty grenade in their stores led to an explosion and the death of 25 of the 27 engineers, before they could set up the minefield. Now under fire from fortified positions, and with the Italian tanks unchallenged, Hill had to think fast or risk his men being decimated. Armed only with a revolver, Hill charged the three tanks. Managing to dodge fire, James was able to subdue the crews of two of the tanks by poking his revolver in the observation hole. While moving onto the third, he was hit three times—which he survived, somehow. After giving his men a fighting chance by drawing out the crew of the third tank, they were victorious and rushed Hill to hospital where he recovered.A British Army Officer, Hill commanded the 1st Parachute Brigade, deployed in North Africa. While his brigade was attempting to take Gue Hill from the Italians, he pulled off a feat of insanity on November 22, 1942. You may have been led to believe that anyone fighting the less-than-successful Italians had an easy time, but taking on three Italian tanks by yourself wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. His battalion came up against a fortified Italian and German position, including 300 Italian soldiers and three light tanks.

 

 

Fritz Christen

Fritz was a soldier in the Totenkopf division of the Waffen-SS during the war. They acted as the spearhead of the German invasion into the USSR and saw more than their fair share of combat. It was in the morning of September 24, 1941 that Christen was manning an anti-tank battery. During a skirmish, Soviet soldiers had managed to kill the rest of the men manning the battery. Christen manned the 50mm cannon alone for the rest of the engagement, without food, supplies, or sleep. In the three days that his struggle lasted, Christen knocked out 13 Soviet tanks and killed nearly 100 soldiers by himself.

 

 

Ivan Pavlovich

Grabbing a rifle and an axe, Ivan waited for the crew to start to exit the tank, presumably in an attempt to get it moving, before charging. The crew, seeing an angry axe-wielding Soviet running for them, quickly got back into the tank. When the tank began to fire its machine gun, Pavlovich climbed onto the tank and bent the machine gun barrel with his axe. He then threw a piece of tarpaulin over the observation hole and loudly ordered his imaginary comrades to pass him an imaginary grenade, banging on the tank’s armor until the four man crew surrendered to what they presumably thought was the entire Red Army.Ivan’s closest comparison is with Steven Seagal in Under Siege. Serving as a cook for the 91st Tank Regiment of the Red Army, Ivan was cooking dinner one day in August 1941. At that point, he noticed a German tank which had stalled in reach of the field kitchen.

 

 

Aubrey Cosens

Born in Latchford, Ontario on May 21, 1921, Aubrey served in the Queen’s Own Rifles of Canada during the war. While in Mooshof, Germany on February 25 and 26, 1945, Cosens proved certain Canadian stereotypes to be incorrect when he seized an enemy stronghold by himself. After his platoon came under heavy counterattack during an attempt to seize three farmhouses held by the Germans, Cosens took command. He charged from cover, under heavy fire, to direct the last remaining Allied tank to fire on one the farmhouses. After ordering the vehicle to ram one of the buildings, Cosens went in alone, killing several occupants and taking the rest prisoner. He then proceeded to singlehandedly kill or capture all of the enemies in the second and third buildings, securing the enemy strong point. After he had captured the farmhouses in a blaze of glory, he was fatally shot in the head by an enemy sniper.

 

 

Havildar Lachhiman Gurung

Havildar Lachhiman Gurung, born in Nepal on December 30, 1917, served as a rifleman in the 8th Gurkha Rifles as part of the Indian Army during World War II. Serving in Burma, this 150-centimeter (4’11″) tall man was up against the ferocity of the Japanese Empire. On the May 12 and 13, 1945, Gurung was positioned in the most forward post of his platoon at Taungdaw. While on his own, the Japanese attacked in force, with at least 200 soldiers assaulting his position. Hurling back two grenades that landed near him, he attempted to throw back a third, but it detonated and blew off his right hand. For the next four hours, Havildar repeatedly reloaded his rifle with one arm, fighting off the enemy until reinforcements arrived. In all, 31 dead Japanese soldiers were found around his position. He had killed every one of them, with one arm.

 

 

Leo Major

Leo Major was a Canadian soldier in the Régiment de la Chaudière during the war. Born in 1921, he also went on to serve in the Korean War. On the night of April 13, 1945, to spare the city of Zwolle, Holland, from bombardment, Leo volunteered to attempt to liberate the entire city with one other man. At midnight, his partner was killed by machine gun fire while approaching the city. Major went on alone. Capturing the driver of the vehicle that fired on his friend, he hitched a lift to a bar within the city where a German officer was drinking while off-duty. He told the officer that at 6:00 AM, artillery would level the city unless they surrendered. Leo then exited the bar and went on to run through the city, firing his machine gun and throwing grenades. He was making so much noise that the Germans figured the Canadians were attacking in force. As he was confusing the Germans, he would attack and capture German positions. Around 10 times, he escorted groups of prisoners to the city limits and the waiting Canadian forces. When he eventually found the Gestapo headquarters, he set it alight—getting into a fight with eight Nazi officers and killing four of them before the rest ran away. By 4:30 AM, the Germans had left the city, and Zwolle was spared bombardment.

 

 

 

Warren G.H. Crecy

Warren, a tank commander for the 761st Tank Battalion, earned the nickname of “Baddest Man in the 761st” for his actions on November 10, 1944. After his tank was disabled, he commandeered a vehicle armed with a machine gun, taking out the German soldiers who had knocked out his tank and a group of forward observers. When his replacement tank became bogged down in mud, he exited under machine gun and artillery fire in an attempt to free the tracks. When attacked by ground troops, Warren went back to the machine gun and held off the enemy advance, forcing them to retreat single-handedly. Described as a “quiet, easy-going, meek-looking fellow,” Warren was elected for a Medal of Honor.

 

 

Fazal Din

An Acting Naik in the 7th Battalion of the British Indian Army, Fazal Din was born on July 1, 1921. While deployed in Burma, on March 2, 1945, near Meiktila, Din’s section got caught by machine gun fire during an attack on a Japanese position. After attacking the position with grenades, Fazal led his men against a bunker, from which six Japanese soldiers led by two officers with swords emerged. One of Din’s men was able to kill one officer before being sliced by the other. Seeing this, Fazal charged the officer, who impaled him in the chest. Despite being wounded, Fazal grabbed the Japanese officer’s sword as he pulled it out, killing the officer and another Japanese soldier with the same sword. Staggering back to his camp, Fazal made his report before collapsing and dying of his wounds

[Lee909]

Not sure if anyone is interested in these books/lectures on audible

I have listened to one and it was superb

 

http://www.audible.co.uk/pd/History/The-Barbarian-Empires-of-the-Steppes-Audiobook/B00HCL6DRE/ref=a_hp_c15_2_4_i_pd_f_recs_1?ie=UTF8&pf_rd_r=016EMJB3RG1QW4TE487J&pf_rd_m=A2YHV2RYTDNFG3&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=5000&pf_rd_p=553589747&pf_rd_s=center-15

[jacco maccaco]

All round Nutter and lord of Derring-do

 

Mad Jack Churchill... The only man to kill an enemy combatant in WWII with a longbow.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Churchill

 

Lots more here and its really quite superb.

 

http://warfarehistorynetwork.com/daily/wwii/mad-jack-churchill-a-rare-breed-of-warrior/

 

his description of what he did with prisoners is priceless...

 

“I always bring my prisoners back with their weapons; it weighs them down. I just took their rifle bolts out and put them in a sack, which one of the prisoners carried. [They] also carried the mortar and all the bombs they could carry and also pulled a farm cart with five wounded in it….I maintain that, as long as you tell a German loudly and clearly what to do, if you are senior to him he will cry ‘Jawohl’ and get on with it enthusiastically and efficiently whatever the … situation. That’s why they make such marvelous soldiers…”

 

Enjoy.

 

 

 

 

[VladimirIlyich]

Just in the middle of watching the BBC 3 part documentary on the Nuremberg trials,its not bad and should lead to some interesting reading.

 

 

Did anyone know that Hermann Goering's brother was a anti-Nazi and helped Jews escape concentration camps and had contact with the Czech resistance?

He was arrested 4 times but ended up getting off with it due to Hermann's influence

 

Göring seemed to have acquired his godfather's character as a bon vivant and looked set to lead an "unremarkable life" as a filmmaker, until the Nazis came to power in 1933. Unlike his elder brother Hermann, who was a leading party member, Albert Göring despised Nazism and the brutality that it involved.

Many anecdotal stories exist about Göring's resistance to the Nazi ideology and regime. For example, Albert is reported to have joined a group of Jewish women that had been forced to scrub the street. The SS officer in charge inspected his identification, and ordered the group's scrubbing activity to stop after realizing he could be held responsible for allowing Hermann Göring's brother to be publicly humiliated.

Albert Göring used his influence to get his Jewish former boss Oskar Pilzer freed after the Nazis had arrested him. Göring then helped Pilzer and his family escape from Germany. He is reported to have done the same for many other dissidents.

Göring intensified his anti-Nazi activity when he was made export director at the Škoda Works in Czechoslovakia. Here, he encouraged minor acts of sabotage and had contact with the Czech resistance. On many occasions, Göring forged his brother's signature on transit documents to enable dissidents to escape. When he was caught, he used his brother's influence to get himself released. Göring also sent trucks to Nazi concentration camps with requests for labour. These trucks would then stop in an isolated area, and their passengers would be allowed to escape.

After the war, Albert Göring was questioned during the Nuremberg Tribunal. However, many of the people whom he had helped testified on his behalf, and he was released. Soon afterwards, Göring was arrested by the Czechs but was once again freed when the full extent of his activities became known.

In 2010, Edda Göring, the daughter of Hermann, said of Albert Göring in an article in The Guardian

 

He could certainly help people in need himself financially and with his personal influence, but, as soon as it was necessary to involve higher authority or officials, then he had to have the support of my father, which he did get.

Later life

Göring returned to Germany but found himself shunned because of his family name. He found occasional work as a writer and translator, living in a modest flat far from the baronial splendour of his childhood. Before his death, Göring was living on a pension from the government. He knew that if he was to get married, the pension payments would be transferred to his wife after his death. As a sign of gratitude, in 1966 Göring married his housekeeper so she could receive his pension. One week later, he died without having his wartime activities publicly acknowledged.

That's a very interesting story that is. Fascinating actually.

[Red Dawn]

 

Leo Major

Leo Major was a Canadian soldier in the Régiment de la Chaudière during the war. Born in 1921, he also went on to serve in the Korean War. On the night of April 13, 1945, to spare the city of Zwolle, Holland, from bombardment, Leo volunteered to attempt to liberate the entire city with one other man. At midnight, his partner was killed by machine gun fire while approaching the city. Major went on alone. Capturing the driver of the vehicle that fired on his friend, he hitched a lift to a bar within the city where a German officer was drinking while off-duty. He told the officer that at 6:00 AM, artillery would level the city unless they surrendered. Leo then exited the bar and went on to run through the city, firing his machine gun and throwing grenades. He was making so much noise that the Germans figured the Canadians were attacking in force. As he was confusing the Germans, he would attack and capture German positions. Around 10 times, he escorted groups of prisoners to the city limits and the waiting Canadian forces. When he eventually found the Gestapo headquarters, he set it alight—getting into a fight with eight Nazi officers and killing four of them before the rest ran away. By 4:30 AM, the Germans had left the city, and Zwolle was spared bombardment.

 

 

 

 

Fantastic stuff. If you saw that in a movie you wouldnt believe it.

[Dougie Do'ins]

Inside The Common. First episode of four just ended on BBC2. Fascinating stuff. 

[Section_31]

James Doohan - aka Scotty from Star Trek.

 

 

At the beginning of the Second World War, Doohan joined the Royal Canadian Artillery.[6] He was commissioned a lieutenant in the 13th Field Artillery Regiment of the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division. He was sent to England in 1940 for training. His first combat was the invasion of Normandy at Juno Beach on D-Day. Shooting two snipers, Doohan led his men to higher ground through a field of anti-tank mines, where they took defensive positions for the night. Crossing between command posts at 11:30 that night, Doohan was hit by six rounds fired from a Bren gun by a nervous Canadian sentry:[7] four in his leg, one in the chest, and one through his right middle finger. The bullet to his chest was stopped by a silver cigarette case given to him by his brother.[citation needed]His right middle finger had to be amputated, something he would conceal during his career as an actor.[8]

 

Doohan graduated from Air Observation Pilot Course 40 with 11 other Canadian artillery officers[9] and flew Taylorcraft Auster Mark V aircraft for 666 (AOP) Squadron, RCAF as a Royal Canadian Artillery officer in support of 1st Army Group Royal Canadian Artillery. All three Canadian (AOP) RCAF Squadrons were manned by Artillery Officer-pilots and accompanied by non-commissioned RCA and RCAF personnel serving as observers.[10][11]

 

Although he was never actually a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force, Doohan was once labelled the "craziest pilot in the Canadian Air Force". In the late spring of 1945, on Salisbury Plain north of RAF Andover, he slalomed a plane between mountainside telegraph poles "to prove it could be done"—earning himself a serious reprimand. (Various accounts cite the plane as a Hurricane or a jet trainer; however, it was a Mark IV Auster.[12][13])