The SS-Totenkopfverbände or SS-TV (SS skull units) was an organization from Nazi Germany. The organization was part of the SS and aimed at guarding the concentration camps. After the establishment of the Waffen-SS a large number of the members of the Totenkopfverbände transferred to the SS-Totenkopfdivision, one of the strongest Waffen-SS units during World War… Read more »
The John Frost Bridge is the road bridge over the Lower Rhine at Arnhem, in the Netherlands. The bridge is named after Major-General John Dutton Frost (1912–1993), who commanded the British forces that reached and defended the bridge during the Battle of Arnhem in September 1944. There had been a floating bridge at Arnhem since 1603 but as the city grew in the… Read more »
The romantic notions that Heinrich Himmler had about the Bosnian Muslims were probably significant in the division’s genesis. He was personally fascinated by the Islamic faith and believed that Islam created fearless soldiers. He envisioned the creation of a Bosnian SS division constituted solely of Bosnian Muslims in a manner similar to the Bosnian divisions… Read more »
A primary cause of death was illness due to harsh camp conditions, with starvation—and its consequent illnesses—prevalent. Malnourished and suffering from disease, many were literally “worked to death” under the Vernichtung durch Arbeit policy (extermination through labor), as inmates only had the choice between slave labor or inevitable execution. Many inmates died as a result of human experimentationor… Read more »
The city of Leningrad endured more suffering and hardships than any other city in the Soviet Union during World War II. Hunger, malnutrition, disease, starvation, and even cannibalism became common during the siege, which lasted from September 1941 until January 1944. Many people lost weight, and grew weaker and more vulnerable to disease. If malnutrition… Read more »