The German Officer Who Rescued the ‘Pianist’
Sometimes, things aren’t always so black and white. Take the Nazi officer who ran a concentration camp in Poland. Who would ever have thought that he’d…
They Got the Wrong Village: SS Troops Massacred Over 600 French Villagers in Oradour-sur-Glane
On December 9, 2014, a German court in Cologne dropped the multiple charges of murder and accessory to murder against an 88-year-old man named Werner…
Six American Aircraft Which Were Crucial To Victory In WWII
Aircraft had begun to play a crucial role in the battles of World War I, but by the Second World War, aircraft had become a…
21-Year-Old Bomber Pilot Who Died Saving His Crew, Running on Just One Engine He Stayed With the Bomber
On the night of May 30, 1942, Britain launched its largest bombing raid so far in World War Two. Of the 1,047 bombers that flew,…
Unconventional Designs And Challenging Builds – German Heavy Tank Destroyers At The End of WWII
When Ferdinand Porsche offered his designs for the Tiger II tank in 1939, it was deemed too unconventional. It was also considered too demanding to…
French And British Tanks Changed The Face Of Warfare In WWI, But Germany Did Not Realise Their Value Until The End Of The War
During WWI, military designers created the first tanks which changed the face of warfare. Not every nation, however, embraced them with the same level of…
The SAS: WW2 Pioneers of Guerilla Warfare Whose Exploits Have Long Remained Secret
The Special Air Service has been talked about in whispered voices for 75 years. What it accomplished in World War II has barely been recognized,…
Catch Me if You Can: Franz Von Werra The Only German POW to Escape From Canada and Get Back Into the Fight
A POW escaping from captivity has long been one of the more fascinating plot lines of World War 2. For all the war’s brutality, there…
Pierre Ortiz: French Legionnaire, US Marine, Hollywood Actor, German Nightmare
In late 1944, a man sat in a French café wearing a long, dark cape. Around him were German officers grumbling and cursing President Roosevelt,…
The Fascinating story of Tokyo Rose – an American woman forced to broadcast WW2 propaganda by the Japanese
Radio propaganda was a prominent part of World War II and perhaps no on-air propagandist was more well-known than Iva Toguri, also known as “Tokyo…
Hanns Scharff – Nazi Germany’s POW “Master Interrogator” Who Used Kindness Not Brutality
The Nazis had a “Master Interrogator” who was so good at getting information out of prisoners that he became a legend. His methods were so…
9 Feb 1945: Victory at the Colmar Pocket, Germans Eviction From The West Bank of The Rhine
On 9 February 1945, the last German forces on the west bank of the River Rhine were defeated by the French and Americans. The defeat…