Adolf Hitler

World War II was the time of war and parents were worried about the safety of their children. This was especially true in England where many parents tried to protect their children by sending them out of the country on ships to America.

One such ship that many parents used was the City of Benares. On September 13, 1940, the ship with 90 city children left Liverpool on a journey with the hopes of carrying 406 people including 90 children to safer shores in other countries.

The City of Benares was owned by the City Line Steamship. It was a modern ship built in 1936 in Glasgow. The City of Benares weight 11,080 tons and was capable of sailing at 16 knots. It had two centrally mounted funnels which gave her the appearance of a freighter rather than a cruise ship.

The ship was attacked by a German submarine when it was 600 miles from land south of Iceland. A single torpedo was fired by the submarine and this cause chaos to break out on the ship as survivors struggled to find their way to the ship’s lifeboats. However, rough seas and strong winds had catastrophic results. First, lowering of lifeboats became difficult and the one that were lowered capsized.

Out of the 406 aboard the City of Benares, 248 people perished. This number included more than 70 children.

One day after this dastardly incident, a ship, HMS Hurricane, came to the rescue to pick up the survivors. However, one lifeboat was missed by this ship and it sailed on the open sea for 8 days and 8 nights in freezing weather.

This lifeboat was Lifeboat 12 which had 30 Indian seaman, a Polish millionaire trader, many merchants, 6 boys, a Roman Catholic priest who had volunteered to accompany the children and the children’s supervisor, Mary Cornish. These survivors survived on one biscuit, a piece of tinned fruit, a little juice for the lucky ones and one sip of water per day until a British destroyer spotted the lifeboat and rescued them.

Immediately after the City of Benares was sunk, the policy of evacuating British children overseas during World War II stopped to prevent similar incidents. However, private evacuations continued to take place.

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On 1st August 1917, Frank Little – labour leader, militant activist, agitator, executive board member of the Industrial Workers of the World and anti-war dissident – was asleep in the room he was renting in a boarding house in Butte, Montana where he had arrived two weeks previously to offer solidarity and help organise the 16,000 miners striking against the Anaconda Copper Company. At 3.05am, six men entered Little’s lodgings and, identifying themselves as police officers to the landlady, abducted Little, beat him, tied him to the bumper of a car and dragged him to the outskirts of town, beat and tortured him some more before they hanged him from a railroad trestle. When his battered body was cut down at 8am, the police chief found a note written in red crayon and pinned to his underwear: “Others Take Notice. First and Last Warning. 3-7-77. L D C S S W T” – “3-7-77″ being the old sign of the “Vigilantes in Montana”.

His assassins were never brought to justice, although they were rumoured to be Pinkerton agents hired by Anaconda or locals who despised Little for the anti-war speeches he’d been delivering to the townspeople of Butte. Little was not merely a conscientious objector to World War I, which America had entered four months previously in April; his resolute opposition was inherently linked to his struggle for labour rights, and he saw the war as nothing more than yet another example of capitalist gain at the expense of the workers. “Better to go out in a blaze of glory than to give in,” he would say. “Either we’re for this capitalist slaughterfest or we’re against it. I’m ready to face a firing squad rather than compromise!”

Born in Oklahoma to a white father and a Cherokee mother in 1879 (hence the legend “half white, half Indian, all IWW”), for the first seventeen years of the twentieth century before his violent death at the age of thirty-eight, Little’s indefatigable footprints can be found stamped upon working-class struggles across the United States. As one of the IWW’s most dynamic and effective organisers with a particular zeal for freedom of speech, he dedicated his considerable energy, proficiency and passion to his cause, for which he was arrested numerous times. But his anti-war convictions were controversial even amongst his peers. Although most labour leaders and IWW members, or Wobblies, were ideologically opposed to the war, few were as boldly outspoken as Little – and when one of the IWW founders “Big Bill” Haywood argued that the Wobblies should silence their views for the sake of the organisation’s progress, Little found himself on the radical fringe of an already radical fringe organisation.

The United States government was determined to quash anti-war dissidents, and the underlying reasons behind Little’s murder were to reverberate for years to come. In the wake of Little’s lynching – for which his mob of assassins meted out their own barbaric justice for their victim’s radical views – Montana authorities declared martial law against anti-war opponents; associates of Little’s were arrested and accused of ‘espionage’, and both the miners’ strike and union were crushed. Beyond Montana, Little’s death was a harbinger of the federal laws, specifically the Espionage and Sedition Acts, which would soon be introduced. Moreover, the government used the IWW’s association with anti-war opposition to initiate a subjugating campaign of repression against the labour movement, culminating in 1920 with the Palmer Raids which effectively destroyed the IWW’s power and momentum for the next thirty years.

Beyond Wobbly folklore, Frank Little is largely forgotten; I would agree with the theory that this is primarily because – as a man of action on the frontline – he left behind few writings, and none of his personal effects have ever been unearthed. But he is a great unsung American hero, a pioneering direct activist and brave revolutionary who is said to have met his grisly fate with courage and without a whimper.

This is just one of many forgotten but significant moments in history. I invite all students of life to visit http://www.onthisdeity.com for an alternative version of our past, and how it shaped our here and now.

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Through 1944 and 1945, the final two years of World War II, both sides still desired victory. However, by this point, the course of the war was clearly unfavorable for the Axis countries.

The Allies continued to push onward, with air, sea and land units fighting battles in a wide number of locales. A major Allied concern was the much-needed liberation of France, which had been occupied since July 1940 by the Vichy regime (largely, a German puppet government.) The initial Allied plans for the invasion of France and the tentative subsequent plans for the liberation of Western Europe were complete by spring 1944, shortly before the beginning of one of the most well-know battles in the timeline for WWII.

June 6, 1944, more commonly known as D-Day, is still the largest seaborne invasion in history. It began with 17,000 airborne troops being dropped in Normandy, along with air attacks and naval landings. Within two months of fighting, the Battle of Normandy resulted in an Allied advance across France of more than 1000 km, which forced Axis troops to retreat back into Northern France, Holland and Belgium.

German forces continued their occupation of Italy in spite of the Armistice, and they developed and fortified a number of defenses and barricades to hinder the Allies’ progress in re-securing the country. The Allied fight to get through the Winter Line ? multiple lines of defense, each with gun pits, concrete bunkers, turreted machine-gun emplacements, barbed-wire and minefields ? was one of the largest and most significant battles that occurred in Italy. They fought from mid-November 1943 to late May 1944 to make it through the various elements of the Winter Line, and American Allied forces finally secured Rome on June 4, 1944. Even after this, Italy saw skirmishes in some areas until May 1945, just a few days before the overall German surrender.

The Soviets too continued to have overall success against the German army, and their actions were what ultimately led to European victory for the Allies. The Red Army’s earlier victories at Kursk and Kharkov kept the Russians moving forward; they began a new series of attacks in January 1944 that cost the Germans a lot of ground over the course of the next year and a half. The Soviet Union was successful in clearing the Balkans and most of Hungary of the German army, and over the winter of 1944 – 1945, they moved further and secured Poland.

By the end of April 1945, the Soviets had moved through and occupied Austria and Vienna, and were still advancing, aiming for the heart of Berlin. Finally admitting defeat, Hitler and his wife killed themselves in Berlin on April 30, 1945. As it took a few days for this news to spread, some German units fought until May 11th or 12th, though most of them had surrendered unconditionally by May 8th.

Even with the American capture of Iwo Jima and Okinawa (February, and April June 1945, respectively), and the defeat of Hitler, the Japanese continued to fight with no intention of surrendering. Because of this, the United States made the final decision to drop the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Only because of the widespread, terrible destruction – and the Soviet invasion of Manchuko – did the Japanese officially surrender on August 15, 1945, bringing an end to the events of the timeline for World War II.

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The Great War or First World War saw the destructive increase of firepower in Human History and the effects this destructive firepower could do to humans. From aviation which was in its infancy to the birth of armoured warfare with the introduction of the ‘tank’ in 1916, the mechanised slaughter of the trenches which would in turn herald in more destructive weaponry was merely the beginning.

In the beginning, war was initially thought to belong to the infantryman. The concept of aerial and or armoured warfare was an ‘out of the box’ concept, a concept not highly thought of by many. The foremost British official was Colonel Ernest D. Swinton who could be called the ‘father’ of armoured fighting vehicles.

With the infantry bogged down, unable to decisively gain a tactical edge on the battlefield, allied and Central Power’s soldiers began to dig trenches and solidify their positions. So began one of the most infamous pictures of the Great War, a series of trenches and trench warfare running from the French channel coast to the Swiss Alps.

As the stalemate grew and the battlefields of Northern France began to resemble a quagmire filled with shell craters and the debris of war; the side who gained the tactical and technological advantage would win the war. So, in 1916, Colonel Swinton organised a presentation to British Government officials of the first tracked fighting vehicle christened ‘little willie’.

The introduction of the tank in 1916 was a slow process, filled full of experimental dangers which claimed numerous lives. Although the design of the ‘tank’ was crude by modern standards, it was the allies’ most technological advanced weapon to date. In total from 1916-1918 there were eight variants of the ‘tank’ produced and used in response to needs and wants of allied command and topography of the battlefield. Furthermore, although the tank gained acclaim at battles such as Cambrai, the tanks operational success was limited was the sheer destruction of the land meant that many tanks ended up being lost in the mud. In particular, the development of German tactics meant that allied tanks were vulnerable to infantry assault tactics.

With regard to the air war, the belief of new technology implemented in war followed that of armoured warfare. Man had only been flying since 1908 and the initial fighter aircraft of World War 1 were merely mono-planes whereby the pilot acted as bomber and gunner. Initially there were no built in guns! Pilots used hand guns in the beginning and hand dropped primitive bombs. As with the development of the tank, fighter and bomber development was a trade of learn how you go.

The casualties between 1914- and 1918 were horrendous. Men piloted aircraft which were made out of wood and canvas. Pilots had no parachutes as it was believed the men would abandon their aircraft. The average life expectancy of a pilot landing in France and being killed was two weeks!

As the First World War became more brutal, the men, machines and doctrine became more brutal. The hollowed and vacant expression became more apparent of pilots who had been at the front of aerial warfare for years and who had seen pilot after pilot killed. From these depleted ranks, men such as Albert Ball and Manfred Von Richtofen aka. The Red Baron became the first flying aces.

Hi, I’m Simon, a History graduate. I have had a passion for history since a very small boy. One of my most passionate interests is “World One War”. I have created an online magazine to this end. It covers all aspects of the most bloody conflict known to man. The characters, the campaigns, the weapons, re-enactment groups and much, much more.

If you would like a FREE 78 page copy just visit…

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The Lee-Enfield Bolt-action, magazine fed rifle was the main firearm used by the British Empire and later commonwealth during the first half of the 20th century. In particular it was the British army’s main rifle between 1895 and 1960.

The Lee-Enfield or.303 was the standard weapon issued to rifle companies of Great Britain’s armed forces during both World Wars. Although replaced with the L1A1 SLR in the late fifties, the rifle remained in British service up until the mid-sixties. As a standard infantry rifle, it is still found in service with military and police forces throughout the world, which incidentally makes it the longest serving bolt-action rifle in use.
The Lee-Enfield takes its name from two sources. Firstly, James Paris Lee who was the designer of the Bolt incorporated into the rifle; and secondly the Royal Small Arms Factory in Enfield where the rifle was produced.

The Iconic Lee-Enfield of the First World War was first introduced in 1907 as SMLE MK III (which stood for Short, Magazine, Lee, Enfield) with a Pattern 1907 Bayonet and included a simple rear sight and a fixed charger guide.

During the Great War, the standard MK III was too complex to quickly manufacture as demand was outstripping supply, thus in 1915 the MK III* was introduced. The slight redesign incorporated a number of changes which included the deletion of a magazine cut-off and the cocking piece was changed from a round knob to a serrated slab. The inability to meet demand led the production of the rifle to be peddled out to several munitions companies.

The term “Mad Minute” was a pre-World War One term used by the British Army during training to describe firing fifteen aimed bullets into a target at three hundred yards within one minute, generally using a Lee-Enfield. In particular it was not uncommon during the First World War for British Empire servicemen to beat this record! On average a rifleman could fire twenty-five shots, and some could even make it to forty shots.

In total, over sixteen million Lee-Enfield’s had been produced on several continents by the time production ceased in 1956. During the First World War 3.8 million SMLE rifles were produced and saw service from France too Mesopotamia.

In today’s world, this world renowned rifle is still in use. Although out-dated by technology, the rifle is still us by reserve forces and police including Canada and India. Since the Mumbai train bombings of 2006, Indian police forces have carried Lee-Enfield’s and Isaphore 2A1 rifles (a derivative of the Lee-Enfield) throughout railway stations. In particular footage from the Soviet war in Afghanistan during the eighties show Afghan fighters armed with Lee-Enfield’s. Lee-Enfield rifles are still produced in the tribal bad lands of Afghanistan and Pakistan to this date. The main reason being bolt-action rifles remain effective weapons in desert and mountain environments where accuracy outweighs rate of fire.

Hi, I’m Simon, a History graduate. I have had a passion for history since a very small boy. One of my most passionate interests is “World One War”. I have created an online magazine to this end. It covers all aspects of the most bloody conflict known to man. The characters, the campaigns, the weapons, re-enactment groups and much, much more.

If you would like a FREE 78 page copy just visit…

http:/www.worldonewar.com/

Author: Simon McShannon
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In January 1945, Hitler left his HQ in East Prussia and moved back to Berlin and into the Reich Chancellery. The Soviet Red Army was bearing down on Germany. A month later, he went underground into the Chancellery’s air-raid shelter, a cavern of dimly-lit rooms made of solid, high-quality concrete.

During his last few months, Hitler’s health deteriorated rapidly. In February 1945, after so many years of shouting and screaming, he had to have an operation on his vocal chords. Following the operation he had to stay silent for a whole week. Hitler refused to leave Berlin and when, realizing the war was truly lost, decided to end his life. Shuffling around with a stoop, Hitler looked much older than his fifty-six years. A new pain in his eye required daily doses of cocaine drops, and, perhaps from the onset of Parkinson’s Disease, his left hand shook constantly. He’d fallen out with many of his senior colleagues – in particular Goring and Himmler. Goebbels, however, remained loyal to the last.

At the end of March a group of twenty Hitler Youth boys lined-up in the Chancellery garden for Hitler to inspect. Lined-up from the eldest to the youngest, Hitler, with his shaking left hand behind his back, shook hands with each child, pinching the cheek of the last, the youngest child. He delivered a short speech and thanked them for their bravery before shuffling back into the bunker. It was to be Hitler’s last appearance in public.

On April 28, in a ten-minute ceremony, Hitler married his long-term partner, Eva Braun. Twenty-three years his junior, the German people knew nothing of her. Her presence, although not a secret amongst the Nazi hierarchy, was not something Hitler wished publicized lest it should diminish the adoration of Germany’s women. That night Hitler dictated his will to his secretary, where he drew-up the make up of the government following his death. The admiral, Karl Donitz, was named as his successor, not as ‘Fuhrer’ but as president.

On April 29, with the Russians barely 300 metres away, Hitler made preparations for his death. Benzene was delivered into the bunker. Hitler insisted that his body be burnt. He did not want his corpse to finish up in Soviet hands, like an “exhibit in a cabinet of curiosities.” He ordered also the testing of the newly-arrived batch of cyanide capsules. The chosen victim was Hitler’s much loved Alsatian dog, Blondi. On April 30, Goebbels tried one last time to convince the Fuhrer to leave Berlin.

Near four o’clock, after a round of farewells, Hitler and his wife of two days retired to his study. Hitler wore upon his tunic, his Iron Cross (First Class) and his Wounded Badge of the First World War. A shot was heard. Hitler had shot himself through the right temple. Braun was also dead. She had swallowed the cyanide. The bodies, covered in blankets, were carried out into the Chancellery garden. There, with artillery exploding around them and neighboring buildings ablaze, Hitler’s wishes were honored – 200 litres of benzene were poured on the corpses and set alight.

Hitler had come to power as German Chancellor, aged 43, in January 1933. The Third Reich was meant to last a thousand years. It had lasted twelve.

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World War II trivia is something that should be studied by everyone. The shape of our world to the present day was created more by this conflict than any other. This was the largest conflict in history, and many feel that it is our most important historical lesson. Due to the increase in power of weapons, population, and military might, few believe the world would survive another conflict that approached the scale of WWII.

A World War II quiz will clearly show that this conflict was largely started by the ambitions of one man and his political party – Adolf Hitler and his Nazis. It shouldn’t be imagined that they were the only aggressors in the war though. Even though Germany was violating many previous treaties through their military buildup, the Japanese began an invasion in China before Germany attacked Poland, which signaled the start of active fighting in Europe.

This war, as a global conflict, quickly divided the world into two parties, known throughout history mostly as the Axis and the Allies. The Axis consisted primarily of Germany, Italy, and Japan. Other smaller powers were a part of the Axis, but those were the major players. The Allies included 26 countries altogether. Major players included Great Britain, Australia, Canada, the United States, India, China and the USSR. There were 26 countries that were part of the alliance altogether.

World War II trivia shows that this war included some of the most horrific events and battles in history. The ethnic cleansing of the Jewish people in Europe by the Nazis remains an unparalleled genocide. The attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese also lead to the first deployment of nuclear weapons in combat. When the US dropped the bombs on Nagasaki and Hiroshima the world became aware for the first time of the terrifying power of the new technology.

There were many important battles that were a part of the history that appears within a World War II quiz. One of the most famous of those battles was the invasion on D-Day which signaled the first major move by the allies that began the end of the war.

It is important to note how much the entire world was changed by the war. Even in countries where there was no fighting, the economy, technology, and politics of the country would be irrevocably changed by this global conflict which lasted from 1939-1945.

Masters of Trivia is a website dedicated to trivia games and quizzes that cover several different areas of interest. The various trivia questions available on the site can be easily accessed and played by going to http://www.mastersoftrivia.com.

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The First World War began when Austria-Hungary declared war on Serbia with support from Germany. It began on July 28, 1914. After that events developed quickly and before anyone knew it, there was a World War brewing.

The war was being fought at different places for different reasons and not the whole world was fighting about the assassination of the Archbishop of Austria. Germany was invading Belgium, attacked Belgrade, Britain was attacking France, Russia was mobilizing armies, Germany was fighting Russia, there was the Palestine issue on the other side of Spain and a lot more countries were involved. Germany was fighting the United States too with its U-boats in the Atlantic. There were several casualties and death world wide.

Most of the records were unclear or incomplete but each country had a rough estimate of how many people they would have lost. The war in the African sub continent cost 10,000 lives; for Australia, it was more than 210,000 lives; Austria’s casualty figure stood at the top with more than 600,000; Britain was at 3050000; Germany 5,768,000; Russia 6,700,000; and USA 262,725. These were the most important countries involved in the World War I and suffered a lot of casualties during the entire war.

There were several other countries that participated like Belgium, France, Canada, and Bulgaria all of which lost more than two hundred thousand lives each. The World War 1 was fought mainly by sea and land. So, the casualties related to the sea were much higher. It was easy for an enemy to sink a whole boat rather than hunt for them on land person by person.

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On June the 5th 1944 the largest combined military operation was about to begin. It was codenamed Operation Overlord, consisting of over 5000 ships, 160000 Soldiers, 24000 Paratroopers and countless Navy personnel. The actual assault was split into two phases, air assault and amphibious landings on five beaches on the coast of Normandy. The First phase of the assault was conducted by Paratroopers of the American, British, Canadian and the Free French.

The objective of the Para troops was to capture key bridges and installations behind enemy lines. Prior to the main air assault groups of Para troopers were dropped into Normandy in designated areas to place radar beacons in the drop-zones. This was so that pilots could find the correct drop zones to deploy their troops in the main assault. Due to poor weather and anti-aircraft fire many of the beacons could not be planted as many areas were flooded or to heavily defended. Just after quarter past midnight 6th June, six Horsa gliders carrying 181 troops commanded by Major John Howard landed within yards of their objective and with the element of surprise captured their attended target, Pegasus Bridge. This was despite the constant and threat and attacks that were ongoing.

The Objectives of the American Para troops of the 82nd airborne division was to capture Sainte-Mere-Eglise and protect the flanks of the impending assaults at Omaha and Utah beaches. The 101st Airborne division was to be dropped behind Utah beach to protect the numerous exits from the beach. However, many of the American Para troops were dropped miles from their intended dz due to poor weather and intensive flak from German anti-aircraft guns pounding the skies.

Despite the chaos of the missed drop zones the Para troops reformed in mixed units of 82nd & 101st capturing many of their objectives. At 02.00hrs RAF Bombers were leaving airfields on the south coast of England on route to bomb many key targets near the beach heads to soften the German defences. During the early hours of the first day the Allied troops continued to capture many of their objectives such as the British taking control of the Merville battery, a coastal fortification containing four 150mm guns overlooking Sword beach in the British sector.

At 05.30hrs the allied navy warships begin the shelling the beaches and coastal defences in preparation for the amphibious troop landings.

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At 06.30 the first landing craft descended on Omaha & Utah beach. Omaha beach was the most fortified of all beaches with high bluffs containing mortars many machine gun nests and artillery. Supposedly weakened by the pre-landing naval and aerial bombings the defense proved ineffective as many of the barrages were hopelessly off target causing heavy allied casualties.

In support of the landing troops was supposed to be 16 specially designed amphibious Sherman tanks called DD Tanks (Duplex drive). Of the 16 due to land on Omaha, only two actually made it onto the beach, with the rest fighting the strong coastal currents capsized and sank leaving troops hopelessly exposed to enemy machine-gun fire.

It is said within the first few hours of landing the Americans had amassed 5000 casualties on Omaha beach alone. In comparison to the difficulties faced on Omaha, Utah’s casualties were significantly smaller with only 197 out of the 23000 troops landed. Lightly defended by the Germans the Americans quicker than expected made light work of any pockets of resistance they encountered and by the early afternoon had succeeded in linking up with some elements of the 101st Airborne division.

Around the same time as the struggles of the first wave of troops on Omaha beach, the US Army Rangers commanded by James Earl Rudder, were attempting to scale cliffs between Utah and Omaha beach called Pointe du Hoc. The reason for this operation was to incapacitate the 155mm guns housed there which if not disabled could severely hinder the landings on both Utah and Omaha beach. The actual operation was supposed to begin prior to the beach landings, however due to the strong currents and navigational issues the operation was delayed by at least 40 minutes thus losing the element of surprise.

Finally the Rangers started to scale the cliffs supported by the guns of two Allied Destroyers preventing the cliff top defenders firing down upon the ascending climbers. When the Rangers reached the summit of their mission they found that the guns were nowhere to be found. In fact they had been moved on the 4th June under the orders of Field Marshall Erwin Rommel. Poor weather conditions prior to the invasion had hampered any planned recon flights which would have clearly shown that the batteries were not at Pointe du Hoc. Once regrouped the Rangers went off in search of the guns which were found nearby and destroyed with thermite grenades.

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After the end of the Great War Hitler returned to Munich and remained in the army or the Reichswehr as it would be known. In his role as an Intelligence Commando, he would infiltrate a small political party known originally as the German Workers Party which would later be changed to the National Socialists German Workers Party (NSDAP). On inspection Hitler was impressed by the parties founder member Anton Drexler’s nationalists anti-Semitic, anti-Capitalist and anti-Marxist ideologies which favored a strong government and a Non Jewish version of socialism. Drexler being impressed by Hitler’s oratory skills invited him to join the party, which he accepted and became the 55th member and the seventh associate of the executive committee.

In 1921 Hitler was discharged from the army and began to participate in the parties activities full time, becoming a master speaker in front of large crowds his words starting to have influence on his audiences, criticising rival politicians, The Treaty of Versailles, nationalists Marxists and the Jews. During 1921 Hitler travelled to Berlin to visit other Nationalist groups and gain support for the cause, in his absence a revolt took place within the leadership of NSDAP, sensing an opportunity to seize power Hitler quickly returned to Munich and tendered his resignation, when the party realised that the loss of Hitler would effectively result in the collapse of the party, Hitler the ultimate opportunist declared he would return under the condition that he would replace Drexler as the Party Chairman with unlimited powers, which infuriated many members but eventually they succumbed and put to the vote of the party members. Hitler received 543 votes for and only one against. At the next meeting of NSDAP on the 29th July 1921 Adolf Hitler was to be introduced as the New Fuhrer of the National Socialist German Workers Party.

With his new title Hitler continued his speeches criticizing the Jews and Communists among others, as his popularity continued to grow, some influential faces were starting to attend his Beer hall speeches including Rudolf Hess, World War 1 Fighter ace Hermann Goring and Army Captain Ernst Rohm who would later become the head of the Nazi’s paramilitary group the SA (Storm Division) whom would be tasked with protecting the party’s meetings & attacking political opponents and enemies of the Nazi’s. Hitler was also starting to attract the attention of local business interests, being accepted into influential circles of Munich society, Where he would meet wartime army General Erich Lundendorff

On the evening of November 8th 1923 Hitler and Lundendorff implemented a plan known as the Beer Hall Putsch its purpose to start a revolution which would overthrow the government of the Weimar Republic.

The attempted Putsch inspired by Mussolini’s march on Rome, started when Hitler and a detachment of 600 SA marched on the Burgerbraukeller beer hall, the SA surrounded the building and a machine gun was set up facing the doors to the hall. At 8 30pm Hitler and some of his entourage burst through the doors where Gustav Ritter Von Kahr was delivering a speech to 3000 people and proclaimed ” The National Revolution has broken out “. During the night and much of the next day the city was in chaos, however by midmorning of the 9th it became evident that the Putsch was to fail and many were about to give up when Lundendorff cried “We will march” !, together with Hitler and Rohm’s forces a total of 2000 men marched towards the Bavarian Defence Ministry, however in front of the Feldherrenhalle the Nazi’s were met by a force of 100 soldiers, the two sides exchanged fire killing four soldiers and 16 Nazi supporters, in the barrage of Gunfire Hitler was injured, with the coup doomed to failure he quickly fled the scene, only to be arrested two days later and charged with High Treason.

Details and comprehensive information about World War Two. You can obtain more details about this historical event through the website World War 2 Books.

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On the 28th June 1919 The Treaty of Versailles was signed after six months of negotiations at the Paris peace conference consisting of diplomats of more than thirty countries including President Woodrow Wilson of the United states, Prime Minister David Lloyd George of Great Britain and Georges Clemenceau of France, diplomats from Germany & Russia were not allowed to attend, however many representatives from various nations spanning the globe were in attendance each with their own agenda.

The conference opened on January 18th 1919 and was for the next six months effectively the centre of world government, disbanding bankrupt nations creating new states, widening and narrowing borders, imposing sanctions for which Germany and its allies of the Great war came under the most scrutiny. Georges Clemenceau of France main goal was to weaken the military might and economy of Germany, as being witness to attacks on French soil by the Germans in the past, wanted guarantees that Germany could never be in a position to attack France again. Clemenceau also sought a guarantee of security from America and Britain in case of a German attack once again in France.

Britain’s approach to the conference and main objectives were to ensure the security of France, remove the threat of the German high seas fleet, set territorial contentions and gain support for the Wilsonians League of Nations. With the arrival of the Woodrow Wilson at this time the first serving United States President to visit Europe came with high hopes and expectation, with Wilson’s diplomacy and fourteen points which had essentially brought the end of hostilities of World War One, much it seemed rested on Wilson and the United States. Conflicts of interest soon became a reality as the French and British refused to accept some specific points and its core principals of the Fourteen points, while Wilson argued that Article 231 of the treaty imposed on Germany was neither fair or warranted, the British and the French tried to appease the President by consenting to the establishment of the League of Nations, however as some of the leagues charter conflicted with the United States Constitution, America never joined the League of Nations and never ratified the Treaty Of Versailles, it would not be until 1921 when the USA would sign a separate Treaty with Germany and its defeated allies.

On April 29th 1919 the German delegation arrived in Versailles under the leadership of the Foreign Minister Ulrich Graf Von Brockdorff – Rantzau, on May 7th the enormity of the sanctions imposed by the victors including the so called ” War guilt clause” was dictated to the German delegates, Von Brockdorff-Rantzau replied, We know the full brunt of hate that confronts us here. You demand from us to confess we were the only guilty party of war, such a confession in my mouth would be a lie. After learning the full extent of the sanctions to be imposed the German government swiftly issued a protest for what it believed to be unfair demands and a “Violation of Honour” and quickly withdrew from the proceedings, Germany’s first democratically elected chancellor Philipp Scheidemann refused to sign the treaty and in a passionate speech before the National Assembly called the treaty a Murderous plan then exclaimed “Which hand, trying to put us in chains like these, would not wither? The treaty is unacceptable” then swiftly resigned from office.

To learn more about World War Two and the battles that the brave men and women fought then World War 2 Books is the place to visit.

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The Second World War catalyzed a transformation in the position of women in society. Till now, the women were confined to the four walls of the house and their role was restricted to household chores and child care. However, the outbreak of this war inspired the female gender to cross the threshold of their homes and carve a niche for themselves in society and the pages of history. The latent potential of women came into the forefront with them occupying imminent places in shipyards and the defense forces. World War II finally opened the doors for women to establish their power.

The name of Tatiana Nikolaevna Baramzina shines in history not only for being awarded the Gold Star Award but for having killed 16 soldiers of the opposing forces within a span of three months of her deputation at the 3rd Belorussian Front. She died at the hands of the enemy on July 5, 1944. As a mark of tribute, the street where she spent her childhood has been named after her.

Hannah Szenes on the rolls of the British Army, received training in parachutes. She utilized this ability during the war to enter into Yugoslavia for rescuing the Jews of Hungary. She proved her loyalty to her motherland by withstanding extreme torture after her arrest in Hungary. Till the end of her life, in the spirit of a true soldier, Hannah did not reveal the details of her secret mission. She fought the brutalities with courage until her last breath on November 7, 1944, when she was fired to death.

Born on December 7, 1916, Katya Budanova is remembered as one of the most incredible female fighter pilots during the war. Posted on the strength of a unit of female pilots, she earned 11 victories to glorify the name of the 586th Fighter Regiment. It was a combat on July 19, 1943 that took away the life of this brave pilot.

Another remarkable flyer who was of immense service during the war was Margaret Ringenberg. During the Second World War, she initially served as a ferry pilot for the Women Air Force Service Pilots and later on went onto become a flight instructor in the year 1945. Apart from flying, she showed talent in the field of writing as well. Her book, Girls Can’t Be Pilots was an enormous success.

Anne Frank, a young Jewish girl born in Germany, is cherished for her written accounts of misery endured by many during the occupation of Netherlands by Germany during the war. Together with her family, Anne managed to stay in hiding for only 2 years from July 1942 onwards, before being captured. She died in March 1945 due to typhus. However, even after her demise, people remember her through the publication of her writings illustrating the gruesome experiences of captivity.

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Before the World War Two there were several artists, scientists, poets, historians and musicians who were a part of the war but they were not famous. Their work became more famous after they passed away. These were people who lead ordinary life and had no experience in war or military tactics.

Some of the singers, sportsmen and musicians from America to join the army to fight in World War II were as follows:

o Hornman Tito Puente (Musician)
o Marty Robbins (Musician)
o Joe Louis and Sugar Ray Robinson (Boxers/sportsmen)
o Yogi Berra (Baseball)
o L. Ron Hubbard (of Scientology fame)
o Charles Waterhouse (Painter)
o Dashiell Hammett, (Author)
o Bill Keane (Author)
o Hugh Hefner (Founder of Playboy magazine)

There are hundreds of more famous Americans who participated in the war by enlisting in the army. The ones who returned alive ended up being famous or were already famous. But there were others who either did not get a chance to showcase their talent or died on the brink of fame.

We should not forget that some people became famous after they had lost their lives to the war and such people were recognized and commemorated later. During World War II even civilians are expected to come and fight for their country if need be. Civilians are people who run normal errands in their lives and are trained to do that unlike army personnel who are trained especially for warfare. The bravery of the civilians never went unappreciated and they were all recognized for their brave efforts and sacrifice after the war was over. Every war story has its effects on normal people’s lives and World War II was no different.

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The War’s beginning?

Some would say that World War Two began with Germany’s Invasion of Poland on the 1st of September 1939 and the ultimatum of Britain that without a German withdrawal a State of War would exist. Needless to say there was no German withdrawal and WWII began, Britain, France, Australia and New Zealand declaring war on the 3rd of September 1939.

Others would argue that world war two was simply the second round of world war one. Although the major powers had yet to realize it the continuance of the war between the Axis and Allies would result in the end of European dominance of the world and the destruction of their colonial empires. By renewing the fight they only ensured their own demise no matter who won the outcome.

Some have claimed that the Treaty of Versailles was ‘harsh and unreasonable’ and therefore was the seed which guaranteed the second world war. Germany would seek to redress this wrong. In truth the Treaty of Versailles was no harsher than the very terms that the Germans had sought to impose on the Russians in 1917/18 with Russia forced to secede large tracts of territory and pay large indemnities in the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk.

In truth the greater cause of the second world war was the belief by many Germans that they had never lost the first world war. German territory had not been invaded, the troops felt they had never lost. In reality the army had to return to Germany to preserve the state from social meltdown, as Germany was in greater danger from internal enemies than the threat posed by the allies.

Hence the belief that Germany had only lost the war due to a stab in the back at home. This breakdown however was the result of a state put under immense pressure and succumbing to economic pressure and political facture, in order to win a modern war, victory in the field is no longer enough, victory must be obtained over the whole system of the other nation. (i.e. destroy its will to fight). Germany had lost the strategic battle, its system had collapsed and hence it lost the war. The British Navy had succeeded in its blockade of the Germany economy and had thus brought about its ruin and defeat, (even if the Navy hadn’t proven itself in open battle).

Germany had lost its allies, Turkey and Austria, and had failed in production with less airplanes, few tanks and had run out of manpower. Although Germany had not lost the battle, it had lost the war.

Nevertheless this myth of not having been really defeated lead to resentment at being labeled the losers. Soon every problem in Germany was related to past wrongs. The great depression was the final straw. Mass unemployment and hyperinflation left a perfect environment for an extremist political party to gain enough support to take center stage. In this case the Nazi’s with a combination of nationalism, racism, authoritarianism, and the promise of better times gained enough political power to begin the takeover and change a democracy into dictatorship.

Careful staged events such as the burning of the Reichstag and downright bully boy tactics led to complete dictatorship. In order to continue to deliver on promises Hitler who was the embodiment of the state had continue to expand, first via appeasement and then outright war.

The killer blow was the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact signed on the 23rd of August 1939, in which Hitler was free to carve up Poland with the agreement of the USSR.

Thanks to the Blitzkrieg tactics and superior ordinance the German army quickly overcome Poland. With France and Britain disgracing themselves by doing nothing on the Western front.

Once Poland was over Germany cemented its position by invading Denmark and Norway on the 9th of April 1940, guaranteeing its access to Swedish iron ore and opening up the North Atlantic. The invasion of France began on the 10th of May 1940, it also included a co-ordinated invasion of the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Belgium with careful German planning producing brilliant results, France failed before it had even begun. A lack of will only quicken the defeat.

The beginning of Germany’s ultimate defeat though had already been sown with the failure to destroy the British at Dunkirk (which began to evacuate on the 26th May 1940), and by failing to seize the French Navy. This combined with oppressive occupations produced stiffening resolve. Victory had gained Italy as a partner, but it was to prove a fatal marriage with Italy being more of a hindrance than a help. However for now the third Reich rejoiced at France’s demise and the French signed the armistice on the 22nd June 1940. In less than two months since beginning its offensive Germany had defeated all its enemies bar the British Empire.

Turning East:

It has become clear from historical records that Germany did not have the capability to invade Britain nor did Hitler have the patience to take the time necessary to allow his current superior position to pay dividends to secure the situation and to build up the necessary naval superiority and required landing craft to invade Britain. Nor build the heavy bombers required to seriously bomb Britain into oblivion. This lack of patience and overconfidence from what had already been achieved lead to the fateful decision to turn east and invade Russia.

This plan was further doomed by the unnecessary invasion of Yugoslavia and Greece on the 6th April 1941, brought about by Italy’s failure and Germany’s rescue to later be repeated in North Africa. The delay to Operation Barbarossa would be costly.

Operation Barbarossa began on 22 June 1941. Three German army groups, an Axis force of over four million men lay in wait to invade Russia and Comrade Stalin was ‘asleep at the wheel’ having ignore British intelligence about Hitler’s invasion plans.

German success was doomed within sight of the Kremlin with the onset of winter and the confirmation to Stalin that Japan had no intention to invade, thus freeing up the Siberian Army to be transferred to the defense of Moscow and the winter offensive in which the Russians began a counterattack on the 5th of December 1941. The unprepared German army froze to death.

Russians Counter Attack at Moscow

Stupidly on the 11th day of December 1941 Germany declared war on the USA (After Pearl Harbour 7th December 1941). Unofficially the nations had already been at war with the USA supplying arms to Britain and USSR and US destroyers battling U-Boats in the Atlantic. However for Hitler to formalize it with a declaration of war was stupidity personified.

A second throw of the dice.

After the failure to succeed at Moscow or to take Leningrad and link up with the Finn.s Hitler had a throw at Stalingrad and the oil fields of the Caucasus on the 22nd August 1942. At first once again Blitzkrieg tactics rained supreme with the Germans reaching Stalingrad on the 8th of September. Once again Hitler failed by allowing his army to get into an urban fire fight for which they were unsuited, allowing the Russians to spring a giant trap and destroyed an entire army (surrendering on 31st January 1943), this combined with the Allied success in North Africa which resulted in the destruction another German army lead to the irreversible change in the course of the war with German doomed to destruction.

The Allies fight back.

With growing success in the battle of the Atlantic, and the victory at El Alamein on the 4th of November 1942 the allies began to swing into the offensive, with operation torch begun on the 8th of November 1942, the allies began to squeeze the Germans out of North Africa. Next they invaded Italy, starting with the invasion of Sicily on the 10th of July 1943. They continued onto the boot of Italy however this proved to be a costly exercise due to terrain favouring the defender, Rome not being liberated until 4th June 1944.

The real end game began with the invasion of Normandy on the 6th June 1944 (D-Day). With the success of the invasion and breakout of the bocage. Success at the Falaise pocket and Kursk confirmed Germany’s fates.

The End Game

Despite Hitlers gamble at the Battle of the Bulge (Dec. 1944) the end was already on the way with the Allies laying waste to Germany from the air and the Russians laying waste with massed artillery and troops. The destruction of Berlin and the death of Hitler (30th April 1945) confirmed to the die hards it was over, V-E day being 8th May, the Germans having surrendered the day before.

Why Germany lost the War.

It failed the Diplomatic battle – it failed to convince Spain another fascist nation to join in the cause. It failed to turn occupied countries into allies. It failed to have a unified plan with its allies. Imagine if Japan had been convinced to invade Russia instead of bombing Pearl Harbour. Imagine if the USA had been encouraged to stay out of the war for another year. In other words Germany failed to win hearts and minds, by the oppressive actions of the SS and others in Poland and Russia, instead of winning over many who would have gladly joined in the overthrow of Stalinism and helped guarantee German victory. Nazism with its German nationalist roots and outright racism just didn’t offer anything to non-Germans.

It failed the Technological battle – although Germany produced new amazing technological advances in rockets and the like, it either failed to produce the really important technology early enough, i.e. radar, nuclear weapons, or failed to recognize and exploit to their full potential advances that really made a difference i.e. Jet power.

It failed to adopt Total War. Until late in the war when Albert Speer took over the economy German hadn’t fully exploited available resources. The Nazi philosophy regarding women had prevented full labour and military use. Whilst the Russians had no such qualms with females even serving in active front line units. In slaughtering the Jews and others deemed unwanted the Nazi’s wasted valuable military resources and valuable human resources which could have been applied in more useful purposes.

German relied on slave labour to make up the gap, whilst Britain and the USA had an army of willing labourers in “Rosie the Riveter.” German further wasted resources in futile projects such as the Atlantic wall (which didn’t even succeed in stopping the Allies for one day) and anti-aircraft guns which absorbed thousands of guns would have been more useful on the front as anti-tank batteries and the men in manpower it took to operate them. It also diverted resources to unnecessary battles such as Greece and North Africa. It believed its own propaganda and thus made Fatal mistakes. Some of these fatal mistakes included failing to realize that the enigma machine had been compromised. The Nazi’s believed it was “unbreakable”, thus would not realize how intell was leaking.

Further fatal mistakes including failing to succeed in the intelligence war, apart a notable success in compromising the Dutch resistance most German intelligence activities paled into insignificance when compared to British Intell. That’s not to say British intell was perfect but Churchill summed it up best with “in war the truth is so precious it must be wrapped in a tissue of lies”. Hitler was sold on the Pas de Calais being the true invasion point. Further by centering all its confidence in the Fuhrer it lead to the disaster of Stalingrad, etc. Hitler may have thought he was a Military Genius, but after the conclusion of the invasion of France he made few successful contributions. One might asked what would have happened if the German Generals had been allowed to run the show?

I believe if the German economy had been fully geared up for the war from the beginning and if it had addressed some of these factors above there would have been every likely hood that they would have succeeded. We should not think that the outcome of World War II was guarantee, it was only with much sacrifice by the allies that final victory was achieved.

This article is dedicated to all those who fought in destroying the evils of Nazism. In particular to my Great Uncle Ivan HARRIS who died on Wednesday 22nd July 1942 fighting in North Africa fighting for New Zealand.

This article is the property of Alastair HARRIS and his immediate family. It may be freely republished over the internet but must include original links.
Alastair HARRIS is the main promoter the getfinancialfreedom4u family of websites, blogs and projects (visit http://getfinancialfreedom4u.ws) specializing in online business opportunities and education, income being generated by affiliate marketing, Google, GDI, eBay, and more. Alastair is rated as an expert author on numerous article directories and is very open to assisting others on the internet.

Author: Alastair Harris
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