Hitler's Secret Plan to Invade Ireland

This stuff always fascinates me.

A top-secret Nazi war dossier has come to light which reveals Hitler's chilling plans to invade Ireland during the Second World War. 

The document contains detailed maps and postcards of the country and has been kept by a family out of public view since the end of war. 

And it reveals that even though Ireland was officially neutral during the conflict, Hitler still viewed the country as a target for invasion. 

The Irish allowed German U-boats and submarines into their waters during the Second World War, but the booklet entitled Militargeographische Angaben uber Irland pinpoints key cities and other sites in Ireland for destruction.

The document - handed to high ranking Nazi officers - also included pictures of key locations such as dams, ports, cities, high ground and beaches which the German High Command believed would be of importance when they invaded. 

These key places were numbered by military officials before being plotted on a series of eight fold-out maps, which would have been used during 'Operation Sealion.'

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British Used Exploding Rats to Fight the Nazis

 Stuff you can't learn in college...

British secret agents went to war behind enemy lines armed with exploding soap, clogs, bottles of chianti, bicycle pumps, suitcases - and rats, documents hidden in Whitehall vaults for more than 50 years reveal. 

They were among an ingenious collection of devices - many of which would have delighted James Bond - provided for agents of the special operations executive (SOE), the covert group set up to help resistance movements carry out sabotage and subversion, or as Churchill put it, "set Europe ablaze".

But the most exotic device was the "explosive rat". A hundred of the rodents were procured by an SOE officer posing as a student needing them for laboratory experiments. The rats were skinned, filled with plastic explosive, and sewn up. The idea was to place a rat among coal beside a boiler. When they were spotted, they would immediately be thrown on to the fire, causing a huge explosion.

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Rare World War II Photos

These were taken by the Russians during World War II.  Many of these had never been seen before they were posted on the internet.

(click to enlarge)

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Deadly Double - A Story of World War II Espionage

After the Japanese bombed the U.S. Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the United States became consumed with paranoia. For a time it seemed as though every bush concealed a Japanese or Nazi spy, saboteur, or subversive, each boring into the nation's vital core like a worm into a rotten apple.

In this atmosphere of spy mania, the FBI and local law enforcement officers received thousands of calls from frantic citizens claiming to have witnessed suspicious individuals and activities. One investigation focused on a peculiar advertisement placed in the New Yorker magazine sixteen days before Pearl Harbor. 

The ad was for a new dice game called The Deadly Double. It actually consisted of two ads, a small "teaser" in the front of the magazine and a full-size ad on page 86. The smaller version showed the words "Achtung! Warning! Alerte!" above a pair of dice with the numbers 12, 24, and XX (the double-cross sign), and 0, 5, and 7. The larger ad contained an unusual cartoon depicting a group of partygoers, clad in formal attire, playing dice in an air-raid shelter. A paragraph of text beneath that urged readers to include the dice game along with other essentials, such as coffee, cigarettes, and blankets, in their home air-raid kits. Finally, at the very bottom of the advertisement there was printed a large double-headed eagle, presumably the logo of the game.

After Pearl Harbor, many speculated that the ad had been a code notifying spies in the United States that war was about to commence. For example, the 12 and 7 could have indicated the date of the attack, December 7th; the air raid graphic might mean that it was slated to begin with an aerial bombardment; and the XX could signify either the latitude of the target (20, running through Hawaii) or, more generally, a double-cross. Some interpreted the name "Deadly Double" as an allusion to the Axis partners, Germany and Japan. Indeed, the double-headed eagle was very reminiscent of the German heraldic symbol.

FBI agents discovered that the Monarch Trading Company, credited on the ad as the game's manufacturer, was actually a dummy corporation. A white male, who had not given his name or address, had brought the plates for the ad directly to the New Yorker office and paid in cash to have it published. Curiously, after tracking him down the FBI uncovered that the man had met a sudden, violent death a few weeks later.

Swamped by so many other calls in the wake of Pearl Harbor, FBI agents were never able to determine whether The Deadly Double was really a part of an espionage ring inside the United States.

The numbers 12 and 7 could have represented the month (December) and the day (the 7th) and the numbers 5 and 0 the time of the planned attack.  The XX could have stood for the approximate latitude of the target.  The numbers 24 could have been a code to designate which enemy has actually placed the ad.

The layout and drawing of the larger ad on page 86 brought about more theories regarding the intended message.  A drawing of what appears to be the noses of three bomber planes flying over the ocean toward their target, which everyone assumed to be Pearl Harbor with what looks like a bomb exploding on the water, antiaircraft shells bursting in the skies, and searchlight beams crisscrossing the sky.

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WWII Widow Finds Out What Happened to Her Husband...68 years Later

Fascinating video below the break

The Sands of Iwo Jima

With music by the Drive-By Truckers.

Remember These Faces

This was a film that was designed to sell war bonds. It contains some incredible footage. Warning it is graphic.

Never Forget

Fully Furnished Nazi Bunkers Surface After 60 Years

Interesting report:

This bunker and three others, entombed under the sand dunes of Houvig since 1945, were uncovered a few months ago in a violent storm, when giant waves swept away the sand, exposing glimpses of the cement and iron structures.

"What's so fantastic is that we found them completely furnished with beds, chairs, tables, communication systems and the personal effects of the soldiers who lived inside," says Jens Andersen, the curator of the Hanstholm museum that specialises in Nazi fortifications.

"It was like entering the heart of a pyramid with mummies all around. I dug a tunnel through the sand that was blocking the entrance to the bunkers and what I saw blew me away: it was as if the German soldiers had left only yesterday," he said.

Experts and archaeologists also hastened to the scene, and, working together with Cassoe, emptied the structures within a few days of boots, undergarments, socks, military stripes, mustard and aquavit bottles, books, inkpots, stamps featuring Hitler, medicines, soda bottles, keys, hammers and other objects.

Russian Female Snipers During World War II: The Story of Lyudmila Pavlichenko

Lyudmila Mikhailivna Pavlichenko was a Ukrainian Soviet sniper during World War II, credited with 309 kills. Born in Bila Tserkva on July 12, 1916, Pavlichenko moved to Kiev with her family at the age of fourteen. There she joined a shooting club and developed into a sharpshooter, while working as a grinder at the Kiev Arsenal factory.

In June of 1941, 24-year old Pavlichenko was studying history at the Kiev University when Nazi Germany began its invasion of the Soviet Union. Pavlichenko was among the first round of volunteers at the recruiting office, where she requested to join the infantry and subsequently she was assigned to the Red Army's 25th Infantry Division. There she became one of 2,000 female snipers in the Red Army, of whom only about 500 ultimately survived the war. As a sniper, she made her first two kills near Belyayevka, using a Mosin-Nagant bolt action rifle with a P.E. 4-power scope.
1943 postage stamp

Pvt. Pavlichenko fought for about two and a half months near Odessa, where she recorded 187 kills. When the Germans gained control of Odessa, her unit was pulled to be sent to Sevastopol on the Crimean Peninsula. In May 1942, Lieutenant Pavlichenko was cited by the Southern Army Council for killing 257 German soldiers. Her total confirmed kills during World War II was 309, including 36 enemy snipers. In June 1942, Pavlichenko was wounded by mortar fire. Because of her growing status, she was pulled from combat less than a month after recovering from her wound.

Having attained the rank of Major, Pavlichenko never returned to combat but became an instructor and trained Soviet snipers until the war's end. In 1943, she was awarded the Gold Star of the Hero of the Soviet Union, and was commemorated on a Soviet postage stamp.

Here's a video of a female Russian sniper action.

WORLD WAR II HERO HAS DONATED 37.5 GALLONS OF BLOOD

Let's contrast this man with the hand out, free loading Obama supporters who have never done a good deed in their life. Hard to believe that their vote counts as much as this man's vote.

It’s been 64 years since Erwin “Bud” Sweetman needed a blood transfusion, but the 85-year-old World War II veteran keeps donating his blood in gratitude – and as a point of patriotism.

On Monday he’ll be giving his 300th pint.

Wounded in action by machine-gun fire as an Army private at Normandy in 1944, he spent more than a year in the hospital recovering from a spinal injury. It was the only time he’s ever received blood.

But he set his donation goal and will reach it during a pre-Veterans Day blood drive from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Calabash American Legion Post 503.

“Monday worries me more than anything else,” he said during an interview last week, explaining that media and representatives from U.S. Rep. Mike McIntyre’s office, Brunswick County’s Veteran Services Office and the American Red Cross are expected for a noon ceremony. “I don’t like to talk too much,” he said.

But on the subject of love of country, Sweetman has something to say. “I’m a pretty good patriot,” he says, noting the two American flags outside his Sunset Beach residence. Donating blood is another way of showing his devotion.

Sweetman said he likes to think about all the people he’s helped with his type A-positive blood, adding that he hopes some of his blood has helped today’s service members fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.

“I hope some of it goes over there,” he said.

THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE NAVAJO IN WORLD WAR II

A short documentary portraying the role of the Navajo soldier in world war 2.

Part 1


Part 2


Part 3

SAVING LIVES IN WORLD WAR II

Judson Hemperley was a medic in World War II and saved many lives during his time as a soldier. A true American hero.

GERMAN SPECIAL UNITS IN WORLD WAR II (PART 5)

This is the final installment.

GERMAN SPECIAL UNITS IN WORLD WAR II (PART 4)

GERMAN SPECIAL UNITS IN WORLD WAR II (PART 3)

GERMAN SPECIAL UNITS IN WORLD WAR II (PART 2)

GERMAN SPECIAL UNITS IN WORLD WAR II (PART 1)

Fascinating video documenting a side of World War II rarely discussed. Must see TV.

GERMANY INVADES RUSSIA: AMAZING COLOR FOOTAGE

The Nazi-Russian duel of WWII was the biggest land battle humanity has ever seen, involving more than 8 million men on both sides. The Germans tried to conquer a nation that was 17 times bigger than Germany itself.

The frontline was the equivalent of starting in Montreal,Canada and ending in Texas.

WORLD WAR II STORIES: KILROY WAS HERE

There was one person who led or participated in every combat, training or occupation operation during WWII and the Korean War. This person could always be depended on. GI's began to consider him the "super GI." He was one who always got there first or who was always there when they left. I am, of course, referring to Kilroy Was Here. Somehow, this simple graffiti captured the imagination of GI's everywhere they went. The scribbled cartoon face and words showed up everywhere - worldwide. Stories (some even true) abound. Its origins are unknown, but it is widely speculated that its spread was began by American GIs during World War II.

Here is one version of its origins:

This Legend of how "Kilroy was here" starts is with James J. Kilroy, a shipyard inspector during WWII. He chalked the words on bulkheads to show that he had been there and inspected the riveting in the newly constructed ship. To the troops in those ships, however, it was a complete mystery — all they knew for sure was that he had "been there first." As a joke, they began placing the graffiti wherever they (the US forces) landed or went, claiming it was already there when they arrived.
Kilroy became the US super-GI who always got there first — wherever GI's went. It became a challenge to place the logo in the most unlikely places. It was said to be atop Mt. Everest, the Statue of Liberty, the underside of the Arch de Triumphe, and scrawled in the dust on the moon. An outhouse was built for the exclusive use of Truman, Stalin, and Churchill who were there for the Potsdam conference. The first person to use it was Stalin. He emerged and asked his aide (in Russian), "Who is Kilroy?"

WWII UDT (Under Water Demolition - later Navy Seals) divers swam ashore on Japanese held islands in the Pacific to prepare the beaches for the coming landings by US troops. They were sure to be the first GIs there! On more than one occasion, they reported seeing "Kilroy was here" scrawled on make shift signs or as graffiti on enemy pillboxes. They, in turn, often left similar signs for the next incoming GIs.

The tradition continued in every US military theater of operations throughout and following WWII.

In 1946 the Transit Company of America held a contest offering a prize of a real trolley car to the person who could prove himself to be the "real" Kilroy. Almost forty men stepped forward to make that claim, but James Kilroy brought along officials from the shipyard and some of the riveters to help prove his authenticity. James Kilroy won the prize of the trolley car which he gave it to his nine children as a Christmas gift and set it up in their front yard for a playhouse.

Here's another version of its origin:

The way I understand it, Kilroy was an Admiral during WWII. During an inspection of the fleet he noticed that bolts on the ship had seven or more threads extended from the nuts. When he saw this he issued orders to cut the bolts to a maximum of three threads. This resulted in saving tons of metal for other uses during the war. Thereafter, when GIs went aboard a ship and saw that the bolts had been cut down to three exposed threads, they knew Kilroy had been there - "Kilroy Was Here." I hope this information with assist in finding out where Kilroy came from before he "was here."

Here's another account:

During WWII we were turning out Liberty ships very fast and of course they all had to be inspected. Plumbing inspections, electrical inspections, etc, etc. There was one inspector named Mr. Kilroy working in a shipyard in Boston. Upon completion of his inspection tour, if the proper people and papers were not there for him to sign he would just scrawl on the bulkhead "Kilroy was here" And then move on to his next inspection. That was the sign that he was there, inspected and passed the ship. Most of the ships were built so fast that not all surfaces had time to be painted and thousands of soldiers saw his little notes on the bulkheads. That's how "Kilroy was here" got it's start. If not, at least it is a good story.

That's a whole of information about something you probably didn't care about in the first place. Read more explanations here.