Ready to jump: German paratrooper before deployment in France
The Wehrmacht’s paratroopers were considered an elite unit, known for their discipline, physical fitness, and strategic importance. In June 1944, during the Allied invasion of Normandy, they were a crucial part of the German defense. A striking image shows a…
The story of the Luftwaffe helpers: Young people in the shadow of war
The story of the Luftwaffe helpers: Young people in the shadow of war In March 1945, as World War II drew to a close, three young Luftwaffe auxiliaries were captured by the U.S. 3rd Armored Division near Giessen. This scene…
Racial education classes at a school for German girls, 1943
German students take part in racial education classes in 1943. The three groups depicted on the poster are (from top to bottom) the “East Baltic race,” the “Eastern race,” and the “Dinaric race.” All three groups were considered sub-races of…
The long road to reconstruction in Dresden, 1945–1970
During the last winter of World War II, the city of Dresden in East Germany suffered severe destruction from air raids. Many people were killed, and an ongoing debate arose about the background and impact of the attack. Dresden was…
Legendary Showdown: The Rise and Fall of the German Battleship “Admiral Graf Spee” (1937)
In the stormy seas of the late 1930s, the German battleship Admiral Graf Spee was a formidable force. Launched in 1934 and commissioned in 1936, it represented a breakthrough in naval engineering. With its sleek design, high speed, and powerful cannons, the Admiral…
East German soldier helps a young boy sneak over the Berlin Wall, 1961
An East German soldier helps a young boy secretly cross the Berlin Wall, August 13, 1961. This is a photograph of an East German soldier helping a young boy cross the newly constructed Berlin Wall on the day it…
World War II: German rations and the nutrition of the troops of the Third Reich
Image credit: Food for thought – Curses in chalk: “God punish England” reads the inscription on the anti-aircraft gun behind the soldiers as they eat from their mess tins. The barely legible writing on the rifle barrel reads: “Always shoot…
How Charles Coward saved Jewish prisoners from the Nazis and became known as the “Count of Auschwitz”
After being captured by the Germans in 1940, Charles Coward spent the rest of World War II as a prisoner of war, but still rescued hundreds of Jewish prisoners from Auschwitz. LSU Law Digital Commons Charles Joseph Coward testified as…
The hunt for the Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann, 1961
Adolf Eichmann awaited his trial in Israel in 1961. Adolf Eichmann inspired Hannah Arendt’s famous phrase “The Banality of Evil .” As an official in Nazi Germany, he was tasked with carrying out the “Final Solution” and organized the arrest of…
Misshandeltes Kamel rächt sich nach Stunden in glühender Hitze
Symbolfoto: Shutterstock Ein Kamel in Indien soll seinem Besitzer den Kopf abgetrennt haben, nachdem dieser das Tier stundenlang in extremer Hitze ohne Wasser oder Schatten angebunden ließ. Im Jahr 2016, in sengender Hitze von über 49 Grad Celsius, verlor ein…