In marked contrast to Volkssturmjunge Alfred Czech’s heroic story, the second vignette is about Hans-Georg Henke. a 16 year old soldier in an anti-aircraft detachment of the Luftwaffe. His father died in 1938 but when his mother died in 1944 leaving the family destitute, Hans-Georg had to find work in order to support the family. At… Read more »

Tsvi Chaim Nussbaum (October 31, 1935 –age 76- July 2, 2012) was a Holocaust survivor, known as possibly being the boy in a famous photograph of the Warsaw Ghetto   That cap, the big buttoned jacket, the raised socks. But especially the defenseless hands and the anxious eyes. You almost see them tremble. A terrified child who does not understand… Read more »

‘Omaha’ refers to a section of the coast of Normandy, France, facing the English Channel 8 kilometers (5 mi) long, from east of Saint Honorine des Pertes to west of Vierville sur Mer on the right bank of the Douve River, where 101 Airborne Chaplain Father Francis Leon Sampson   dropped in on D-day, estuary and an estimated 150-foot… Read more »

Until the very last minute, the place of invasion – Normandy- was the most heavily guarded secret on the planet Even the units conducting the initial assaults did not know the locations of their landings. Surprise was crucial since Germany had 55 divisions in France – the Allies could transport no more than 8 divisions on D-Day… Read more »

The diligent help of the Sonderkommando’s when declining and bringing the viciims to the gas chambers was strange.  Never have I experienced, nor ever heard that they told them, who were to be gassed, the slightest of what was waiting for them. On the contrary, they did everything to deceive them, and especially those who… Read more »

Henriette Hoffmann was the daughter of Hitler’s personal photographer, Heinrich Hoffman. She was brought up surrounded by the Nazi leadership. Due to Hitler’s close relationship with her father, she first met the future Fuhrer in 1922, at the age of nine.  For the next decade Hitler, who called Henriette “my sunshine,” was a frequent guest… Read more »

The SS-Ehrenring, SS Honour Ring”, unofficially called Totenkopfring (“Death’s Head Ring”) , was an award of Heinrich Himmler;s Schutzstaffel SS). It was not a state decoration, but rather a personal gift bestowed by Himmler. The SS Honour Sword  and SS Honour Dagger  were similar awards. The ring was initially presented to senior officers of the Old Guard (of… Read more »

In early 1915 sergeant Hitler adopted a stray dog he named Fuchsl (little fox), who was taught many tricks and became his beloved companion. Hitler described him as a “proper circus dog”. In August 1917 the List Regiment transferred to a quiet sector of the front in Alsace. During the journey, both Fuchsl and Hitler’s portfolio… Read more »

Blondi (1941 – 29 April 1945) was Adolf Hitler’s German Shepherd dog, given to him as a gift in 1941 by Martin Bormann.  Blondi stayed with Hitler even after his move into the Führerbunker located underneath the garden of the Reichs Chancellery on 16-01-1945. In March or in early April, she had a litter of five puppies with Gerdy Troost  German Shepherd, Harras. Hitler named one of the… Read more »

It was the loneliness of the 12-year-old that first drew me, Emma Craigie, to Helga Goebbels. She was the oldest of the six children taken by their parents, Joseph and Magda Goebbels,  into Hitler’s Berlin bunker on April 22 1945. Their tale had barely been written about and had never been the subject of a… Read more »