Category: History-world-war-II and travel destinations.
The End of the Beginning
The violence and destruction of Kristallnacht lasted little more than 24 hours, but many historians consider it the event that marked the beginning of the Holocaust. It was, certainly, the culmination of the previous five years of Nazi propaganda and legal actions against German Jews. But how did the government’s response to Kristallnacht push Germany…
Who Was Vom Rath?
Kristallnacht was an orgy of anti-Semitism. But, contrary to the proclamations of the Nazi media, it was not simply a spontaneous riot brought on by the murder of a German diplomat. It was an orchestrated next step in Hitler’s systematic plan to eradicate the Jewish community. For several previous generations, German Jews had been fully…
The Ugly Night of Broken Glass
CHAPTER 1 KRISTALLNACHT THE QUIET OF THE EARLY November morning was shattered by loud voices and the screech of brakes. Herman peered through the crack in the stable door. A prickle of fear shot up his neck at the sight of a covered truck, two police motorcycles, and a black sedan in front of the…
History 101
Over the years, as I was writing Immigrant Soldier, friends and acquaintances would ask me, “What is your book about?” I prepared what is called an “elevator pitch”—a synopsis short enough to recite on a ride between the stops on an elevator. Often, to set the stage, I would say, “It all begins on Kristallnacht in…
In Remembrance of Pearl Harbor
Today is the 73rd anniversary of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. At 8:00 am on the morning of December 7th 1941, the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a surprise military strike against the US Pacific Fleet anchored in the sheltered harbor near Honolulu. Just as we today can easily remember the morning of September…
Chicago and the Spiegels
Those of us who grew up in the 1950s and ‘60s will probably be familiar with the Spiegel name. Along with Sears and Roebuck, the Spiegel Company of Chicago was one of the best known catalog retailers in the United States. Beloved by their customers since 1912 for offering free credit and installment payment, in…
Turkish Diplomats Save Thousands from the Nazis
Who knew? In spite of all the books on the Holocaust and Hitler’s war that I have read, I did not know about this. Between 1941 and 1944, the Turkish legation in France saved thousands of Jews from deportation and arrest by the Nazis. Yes, Turkish diplomats, representatives of the same country that during World…