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AMAZING: 2004 Tsunami washed ship 2 miles onshore!

The Tsunami in 2004 was a destructive one. Amazingly it carried a thousand tons ship two miles onshore!


This 100-foot fishing boat was swept inland by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which dumped it atop a house near the port of Banda Aceh, on Indonesia's island of Sumatra. Fifty-nine residents fleeing floodwaters took refuge aboard the vessel until waters receded more than seven hours later, giving the boat its name, Noah's Ark

A man gives the boat a lick of paint. It is a tourist attraction

The Apung, a 2,600-ton power-generating vessel that the tsunami deposited two miles inland in Banda Aceh, is now a major tourist attraction. It landed atop two houses, killing the inhabitants.

Resident Bustaman, 45, climbs atop the Apung, remembering the day nearly five years ago when the tsunami struck, taking his 5-year-old daughter. "We were all running in fear when the first wave came,” he recalled. "I was holding my 5-year-old as tightly as I could. But my head was hit by a piece of wood. I don’t remember what happened next. But when I came to my senses, my little girl was gone.”

LATimes

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Assassination attempts on ADOLPH HITLER

Most of thought (including myself) thought there was only one attempt to kill Adolph Hitler. We are badly mistaken! There were many. They are described below.

Agreed, the von Stauffenberg one was the most important one. Hitler almost died then.

MUNICH

Johann Georg Elser, born January 4, 1903, had served an apprenticeship as cabinetmaker (Schreiner) and from 1929 to 1932 worked in Switzerland at this trade then returned to Germany to assist in his fathers lumberyard. He bitterly resented the Nazi stranglehold on labour unions and the growing restrictions on religious freedom. He then decided to kill Hitler by placing a time bomb in one of the columns behind the podium where Hitler was to give a speech in the Burgerbrau Beer Cellar in Munich. The bomb was set to detonate at preciesly 9.20pm on Wednesday, November 8, 1939. At 8.10 Hitler enters the beer hall but at 9.12pm he suddenly ends his speech and departs. Eight minutes later the bomb explodes killing eight people and wounding sixty-five including Eva Braun's father. Seven of those killed were Nazi Party members. Elser, who, since 1933, refused to give the nazi salute, is later arrested as he tried to cross the border into Switzerland at Konstanz. He was held for questioning due to the 'strange content' of his belongings. He was transported to Sachsenhausen concentration camp, and later confined in the concentration camp at Dachau. On the 9th Of April, 1945, two weeks before the war ended in Europe, Johann Elser was executed by the SS. In the city of Bremen a street was named in his honour, Georg-Elser Weg. In Berlin a memorial has been erected and a plaque to his memory is sited in his hometown, Koenigsbronn. (In September, 1979, the Burgerbraukeller was demolished. On its site now stands the Munich City Hilton Hotel)

THE BERGHOF

On March 11, 1944, Cavalry Captain Eberhard von Breitenbuch attended a conference at Hitler’s villa the ‘Berghof’ on the Obersalzberg. Concealed on his person was a small Browning pistol with which he intended to shoot his Führer and at the same time was willing to sacrifice his own life in the attempt. He felt that the war was now at such a stage that the complete destruction of Germany was inevitable and that Hitler had to be stopped. Breitenbuch enters the conference room behind Field Marshal Ernst Busch, who suspects nothing, but as he approaches the door he is stopped by the Duty Sergeant who explains "Sorry, no adjutants beyond this point, Führers orders". So yet another attempt fails.

BERLIN

On March 20, 1943, Colonel Rudolf von Gertsdorff, General Kluge's chief of intelligence, tried to kill Hitler in the Zeughaus. The concealed bomb was to be detonated by acid while he stood close to Hitler in the exhibit hall. Unfortunately Hitler left the building before the acid could act and Gertsdorff immediately entered the men's room and flushed the fuse down the toilet.

In February, 1944, Infantry Captain Axel von dem Bussche agrees to blow up Hitler and himself while he demonstrates a new army winter overcoat to the German leader. Fate intervenes the day before when during a British air raid the uniforms were destroyed and Bussche was returned to duty at the front. A few weeks later another ‘overcoat’ attempt was made. This time the volunteer model was Ewald Heinrich von Kleist, son of one of the original conspirators and included Major General Helmuth Stieff. Again the RAF saved the day with an air-raid just before the demonstration was about to take place forcing its cancellation.

THE BERGHOF

On July 11, 1944, Staff Officer Lt. Colonel Count Claus Schenk von Stauffenberg, convinced that he and he alone could assassinate Hitler, attended another conference at the Berghof. Concealed inside his briefcase was a time bomb. Waiting outside in a gateaway car was his co-conspirator, Captain Friedrich Klausing. Inside the Berghof, Stauffenberg telephones his colleagues in Berlin to tell them that neither Goering nor Himmler is present. They insist that the attempt be aborted. Stauffenberg then returns to Berlin to plan his next assassination attempt.

RASTENBURG

Stauffenberg’s second attempt occurs at Hitler’s Wolf’s Lair headquarters in East Prussia. On July 15, 1944, he attends a Fuhrers briefing and observes with dismay that Himmler is again absent. The attempt was once again aborted.

RASTENBURG

Thirty six year-old Stauffenberg’s final attempt occured on July 20, 1944. Four days earlier, the attempt was decided upon during a meeting at his residence at No. 8 Tristanstrasse, Wansee. Himmler or no Himmler, the attempt must go ahead, come what may. At 12.00pm Stauffenberg and General Fromm report to Field Marshal Keitel’s office for a briefing before entering the conference room. At 12.37pm, Stauffenberg places his briefcase, containing 2,000 grams of Plastik-W explosives, under the map table, then leaves the room on the pretext of making a telephone call. The officer Colonel Brandt, No.4 who took his place noticed the briefcase and with his foot pushed it further under the table. The heavy oak table support protected Hitler from the full force of the explosion. At 12.42pm, the bomb explodes. By this time Stauffenberg is on his way back to Berlin. At 6.28pm a radio broadcast from Wolf’s Lair reports that Hitler is alive but only slightly wounded. Later that night, at 12.30am, Stauffenberg and his co-conspirators, Haeften, Olbricht and Mertz, are arrested and executed by firing squad in the inner courtyard of the Bendlerstrasse Headquarters in the glare of a trucks lights.

(Immediately after Colonel Stauffenberg's assassination attempt, his wife and four children were arrested and imprisoned. Freed by the Allies at the end of the war and pregnant at the time of her arrest, she gave birth to her fifth child while in prison. One of her brothers, Berthold, was also arrested and executed after the failed plot)



THE BOMB PLOT AT HITLER'S HQ. The situation as at 12.30pm on July 20, 1944.


1. Adolf Hitler
2. General Heusinger
3. Luftwaffe General Korten (Died of wounds)
4. Colonel Brandt (Died of wounds)
5. Luftwaffe General Bodenschatz (Severely wounded)
6. General Schnunt (Died of wounds)
7. Lt. Colonel Borgman (Severely wounded)
8. Rear Admiral Von Puttkamer
9. Stenographer Berger (Killed on the spot)
10. Naval Captain Assmann
11. General Scherff
12. General Buhle
13. Rear Admiral Voss
14. SS Group Leader Fegelein
15. Colonel Von Bellow
16. SS Hauptsturmfuhrer Gunsche
17. Stenographer Hagen
18. Lt. Colonel Von John (Adjutant to Keitel)
19. Major Buchs (Adjutant to Jodl)
20. Lt. Colonel Weizenegger
21. Min. Counsellor Von Sonnleithner
22. General Warlimont (Concussion)
23. General Jodl (Lightly wounded)
24. Field Marshal Keitel


Between August 8, 1944 and April 9, 1945, Ninety persons were executed in Plötzensee prison for their part in the attempted coup of July 20.

PARIS

Another attempt to assassinate Hitler was planned for July 27, 1940, in Paris, where Count Fritz-Dietlof von der Schulenberg planned to shoot Hitler from the reviewing stand during a military parade in Hitler’s honour. Hitler however secretly visited Paris in the early hours of July 23, visiting all the city’s famed buildings. He began his tour at 6am and by 9am he ended his tour and departed the city. A few days later Schulenberg recieved word that his hoped for July 27 military parade had been cancelled.

PARIS

Despite Schulenberg’s failure to lure Hitler to Paris for the special parade, Field Marshal Erwin von Witzleben had plans of his own to assassinate Hitler. In May, 1941, he attemped to lure Hitler to Paris under a similar pretext. The visit was scheduled for May 21st but was abruptly called off at the last minute.

SIEGFRIED LINE

In 1939, prior to the outbreak of WWII, German General Kurt von Hammerstein repeatedly attempted to lure Hitler into visiting the Army’s fortifications along the Seigfried Line near the Dutch border where he commanded a base. Hammerstein and his co-conspirator, retired General Ludwig Beck, had planned a ‘fatal accident’ to Hitler during his inspection of the base. Hitler however, never honoured the invitation, instead he turned the tables on Hammerstein by placing him on the retired list.

POLTAVA

Another plot to assassinate Hitler was hatched at Army Group B Headquarters at Walki near Poltava in the Ukraine. This time the conspirators were General Hubert Lanz, his Chief of Staff, Major-General Dr. Hans Speidel and Colonel Count von Strachwitz, the commanding officer of the Grossdeutschland Tank Regiment. The plan was to arrest Hitler on his anticipated visit to Army Group B in the spring of 1943. Hitler, at the last minute, changed his mind and instead decided to visit his forces fighting in Saporoshe further east.

SMOLENSK

On March 13, 1943, three attempts were planned on Hitler’s life. Field Marshal Guenther von Kluge, commander of Army Group Center on the eastern front, finally managed to lure Hitler into visiting his headquarters at Smolensk. However a number of officers on Kluge’s staff had other thoughts on how to assassinate Hitler. Colonel Henning von Tresckow, who hated Hitler and the Nazis, together with Lt. Fabian von Schlabrendorff, Colonel Rudolf von Gersdorff and Cavalry Captain Georg von Boeslager had hatched a plan to get rid of their Führer.

Plan 1

Captain von Boeslager and his company were to serve as armed escort to Hitler’s motorcade. During the drive from the airfield the Führer’s car was to be gunned down in an ambush. The attempt was aborted when Hitler arrived with his own armed escort of 50 SS guards.

Plan 2

The second attempt was to take place during lunchtime in the mess hall. At a given signal, Tresckow was to rise from the table and open fire on Hitler as he ate lunch, but the sight of so many SS close to Hitler arouses fear of failure and so once again the attempt was aborted.

Plan 3

As Hitler leaves by plane for Berlin, Tresckow instructs Schlabrendorff to hand over a package to Colonel Heinz Brandt who is flying back with Hitler. The package, containing two bottles of brandy, is a gift for Major-General Helmuth Stieff in Berlin. Concealed in the package is a time bomb but it failed to explode owing to the high altitude cold air freezing the acid in the detonator cap. When news of Hitler’s safe arrival reached the plotters, Schlabrendorf immediately flew to Berlin with the regular courier plane and retrieved the package from Colonel Brandt, replacing it with two genuine bottles.

In February, 1945, Albert Speer, Hitler’s Armaments Minister, came to the conclusion that his Führer was deliberately committing high treason against his own people. It was then that Speer decided that Hitler must be eliminated. During one of his many walks in the Chancellery gardens he took note of a ventilation shaft leading to Hitler’s bunker. An idea formed in his mind and he discreetly asked the head of munitions production, Dieter Stahl, if he could procure some of the new gas, Tabun, which he intended to conduct into the ventilation shaft of the bunker. Stahl, who was sympathetic to the idea, revealed that Tabun was effective only after an explosion and would not be suitable for the purpose which Speer intended. Another gas had to be found but the whole idea was thwarted when armed SS sentries were placed around the bunker entrances and on the roof. A chimney had also been built around the ventilation shaft to a height of ten feet which put the air-intake of the shaft out of reach. At the Nuremberg War Crimes Trials, Albert Speer was sentenced to twenty years imprisonment, which he served to the very last minute, in Spandau Prison, Berlin.

Source

----------------------------

Little known statistics about the Second World War

We have seen many pictures about the Second World War. We have read much about the war in books. We have seen umpteen movies about it. We have seen many videos on Youtube. Below are given statistics about the war.

Believe me, it is fascinating reading.

WWII Death Count Per Country:
CountryMilitaryCivilianTotal
USSR12 million17 million29 million
Poland597,0005.86 million6.27 million
Germany3.25 million2.44 million5.69 million
Yugoslavia305,0001.35 million1.66 million
Romania450,000465,000915,000
Hungary200,000600,000800,000
France245,000350,000595,000
Italy380,000153,000533,000
Great Britain403,00092,700495,000
United States407,0006,000413,000
Czechoslovakia7,000315,000322,000
Holland13,700236,000249,000
Greece19,000140,000159,000
Belgium76,00023,00099,000
Death Distribution Of Both World Wars
WarMilitary DeadCivilian Dead
WWI95%5%
WWII33%67%

Number of divisions available for these countries over the course of the war:
Country1939194019411942194319441945End of War
France8610500571414
Germany*78189235261327347319375
Great Britain934353839373131
Italy6736489862910
Poland432222555
Romania1128333133322424
USSR194200220250350400488491
USA**824397695949494
*towards the end of the war, many of these divisions were either incomplete or poorly equipped
**including both Army and Marine divisions and accounting for the Pacific theater
Aircraft Available In Europe
DateBritishUSSovietTOTALGermanAllied Ratio
June 194295000210011,60037003.1:1
December 194211,3001300380016,40034004.8:1
June 194312,7005000560023,30046005.1:1
December 194311,8007500880028,10047006:1
June 194413,20011,80014,70039,70046008.6:1
December 194414,50012,20015,80042,50085005:1

Aircraft Sorties In WWII
CampaignAlliedAxisAllied Kills Per 1000Axis Kills Per 1000Allied Lost Per 1000Axis Lost Per 1000
France 1940448021,00028.612.558.56.1
Britain 194031,00042,00021.829.529.59.6
Pre D-Day 194498,40034,50012.729.310.336.1
Post D-Day 1944203,35731,83317.316.22.5110.6

Major Warships Sunk In WWII
CountryAircraft CarriersBattleshipsCruisersDestroyersSubmarinesTotal
Germany049539941060
Britain952914275260
Italy021599116232
USA*112108252157
France05105865138
USSR0023495131
Holland003111529
Poland001429
*includes figures from the Pacific War
Civilian Air Raid Deaths
CountryDeaths
Germany543,000
Britain60,400

  • According to the law of averages, every rifleman from each division would be killed within a year or two
  • Overall, there was a 50% chance of a WWII infantryman being killed or wounded
German/American Rank Conversion Chart
Waffen SSWehrmachtUS Army
SchützeSchütze/GrenadierPrivate
OberschützeOberschütze/ObergrenadierPrivate First Class
SturmannGefreiter--
RottenführerObergefreiterCorporal
UnterscharführerUnteroffizierSergeant
ScharführerUnterfeldwebelStaff Sergeant
StandartenjunkerFähnrich--
OberscharführerFeldwebelTechnical Sergeant
HauptscharführerOberfeldwebelMaster Sergeant
Standarten-OberjunkerOberfähnrich--
SturmscharführerStabsfeldwebelSergeant Major
UntersturmführerLeutnantSecond Lieutenant
ObersturmführerOberleutnantFirst Lieutenant
HauptsturmführerHauptmannCaptain
SturmbannführerMajorMajor
ObersturmbannführerOberstleutnantLieutenant Colonel
StandartenführerOberstColonel
Oberführer----
BrigadeführerGeneralmajorBrigadier General
GruppenführerGeneralleutnantMajor General
ObergruppenführerGeneral der... (Infanterie, etc.)Lieutenant General
OberstgruppenführerGeneraloberstGeneral
ReichsführerGeneralfeldmarschallGeneral of the Army

German Occupational Forces, 1939-1940
CountryPopulationArea In Sq. Mi.German ForcesGerman Ratio To Population
Balkans21 million403,000200,0001:105
Belgium8 million30,400100,0001:80
Denmark3.6 million22,70040,0001:90
France40 million550,700500,0001:80
Holland8.5 million34,200100,0001:85
Norway2.8 million324,000150,0001:19

Location Of German Divisions In June Of Each Year
Country1941194219431944
USSR34171179157
France, Belgium & Holland38274256
Norway & Finland13161616
Balkans781720
Italy00022
Denmark1123
North Africa2300

A look at fuel consumption of German tanks:
YearTypes Of Tanks In A DivisionTons Of Fuel Consumed Per 100 Miles
1941PzII, PzIII, PzIV, Pz3822.1
1942PzIII, PzIV23.7
1943PzIII, PzIV, Panther, Tiger31.7
1944PzIV, Panther, Tiger35.8

Luftwaffe Aircraft Used Only Against Allied Bombers
MonthYearPercentage
June19400%
June19417%
June194217%
June194321%
June194429%
January194550%

  • Germany got 45% of its oil supplies from Romania, which was captured by the Soviets in August 1944
  • In spite of fuel shortages, German tank production doubled in 1943 and went up another 50% in 1944
Oil Production In Tons
YearGermanyUSA
19398 millionN/A
19406.7 millionN/A
19417.3 millionN/A
19427.7 million184 million
19438.9 million200 million
19446.4 million223 million
Percentage Of German Forces On The Eastern Front Each Year
Unit1941194219431944
Divisions67%75%60%57%
Troops84%74%72%40%
Aircraft64%65%42%45%

  • By D-Day the Germans had 1.5 million railway workers operating 988,000 freight cars and used 29,000 per day
Germany's casualty statistics:
  • By D-Day, 35% of all German soldiers had been wounded at least once,
    11% twice, 6% three times, 2% four times and 2% more than 4 times
  • The average officer slot had to be refilled 9.2 times
  • Germany lost 136 Generals, which averages out to be 1 dead General every 2 weeks
  • Germany lost 110 Division Commanders in combat
  • Air attacks caused 1/3 of German Generals' deaths
  • 84 German Generals were executed by Hitler
  • Germany lost 40-45% of their aircraft to accidents
U-Boat Losses
Sunk By1939194019411942194319441945Total
Aircraft Carrier023361406840289
Ships5112432596817216
Bombs00002243662
Mines320319725
Submarines121245318
Other045617431792
Total9233586236235122746

  • By late 1944, the Waffen SS accounted for 10% of the German military and 25% of the German armor
  • German bullets had less flash and smoke than American bullets so it was harder to see where the Germans were firing from
German Flak
Unit193919401941194219431944
Heavy Guns2600316438884772852010,600
Light Guns67008290902010,70017,50019,360
Searchlights298834503905465052007500
% Under The Luftwaffe50%61%54%64%74%70%

Mid-Year Manpower On The Eastern Front
YearSovietGerman
19415 million3.3 million
19425 million3.1 million
19436.2 million2.9 million
19446.8 million3.1 million

  • 80% of Soviet males born in 1923 didn't survive WWII
  • There was a Polish General named Juliuz Rommel, although if they were related it would only be distantly
8th Air Force:
fired 76.9 million rounds of .50 caliber
fired .7 million rounds of .30 caliber
downed 6090 enemy aircraft
had an average of 1 enemy plane shot down for each 12,700 rounds fired (1/12,700)
15th Air Force:
fired 30 million rounds of .50 caliber
downed 2110 enemy aircraft
had an average of 1/14,200
The Germans' average was 1/12,000
Percentage Of All Allied Bombs Dropped
Year%
1940.8%
19412%
19423%
194312.8%
194457.9%
194523.5%

  • 12,000 heavy bombers were shot down in WWII
  • Between 1939 and 1945 the Allies dropped 3.4 million tons of bombs
  • That averages out to be 27,700 tons of bombs a month
  • 2/3 of Allied bomber crews were lost for each plane destroyed
  • 3 or 4 ground men were wounded for each killed
  • 6 bomber crewmen were killed for each one wounded
  • Over 100,000 Allied bomber crewmen were killed over Europe
Tour Of Duty% KIA or MIA
Fighters (300 combat hours)24%
Medium bombers (50 missions48%
Heavy bombers (30 missions)71%
D-Day Statistics:
UnitAlliesGermansRatio
Ground Troops1 million700,0001.43:1
Replacements120,00020,0006:1
Other Men1.75 million780,0002.25:1
Total2.87 million1.5 million1.92:1

UnitAlliesGermansRatio
Tanks550014003.93:1
Artillery480032001.5:1
Others20008002.5:1

Air ForceBombersFightersTotal
RAF62421722796
USAAF192213113233
Luftwaffe400420820
Ratio6.4:18.3:17.4:1

The Canadians' contributions in WWII are often overlooked, yet they had the 4th largest air force and the 3rd largest navy, who helped protect Allied convoys in the Atlantic. They gave an added industrial output as well as 6 army divisions, of whom 45,000 gave their lives for the Allies.
  • There were 433 Medals of Honor awarded during WWII, 219 of them were given after the receipiant's death
  • From 6 June 1944 to 8 May 1945 in Europe the Allies had 200,000 dead and 550,000 wounded
  • The US had the lowest casualty rates of the major powers in WWII
The American Sub-Division Of Army Units In WWII:
  • squad--around a dozen men
  • platoon--3 or 4 squads
  • company--3 or 4 platoons
  • battalion--3 or 4 companies
  • regiment--3 or 4 battalions
  • division--3 or 4 regiments
  • corps
  • army
  • army group
US Infantry Regiment In 1944:
6 105mm Howitzers, 9 57mm anti-tank guns, 55 .50 caliber machine guns, many .30 caliber machine guns and enough Jeeps & ammunition to opperate
US Infantry Company In 1944:
193 men, 15 BARs, 2 M1919A4s, 1 .50 caliber machine gun and 6 submachine guns
US Infantry Platoon In 1944:
41 men, 1 M2 carbine, 3 BARs
US Airborne Infantry Company:
176 men, 9 machine guns, 9 BARs, 3 60mm mortars and 3 bazookas
US Airborne Infantry Platoon:
36 men, 2 M1919A6s, 22 rifles, 14 M2 carbines, 1 60mm mortar, 1 sniper rifle and 1 bazooka
  • 1/3 of US Airborne troops landed by parachute, 2/3 by glider
Percentage Of Combat Strength Kept In Non-Divisional Formations (regiment, battalion, etc.)
Country%
USA45%
USSR20%
Germany10%

Total Number Of Weapons During WWII
Weapon TypeWorldUSAUS %
Aircraft542,000283,00052%
Vehicles5.1 million2.47 million48%

Convoy Battles
DateConvoy CodeShipsSunkTonnageGerman SubsSunk
October 1940SC-71, HX-797932154,600120
September 1941SC-42701873,200192
July 1942PQ-174216102,300110
November 1942SC-107421582,800183
December 1942ONS-154451974,500191
March 1943SC-121, HX-2281191679,900372

  • 800 U-Boats sank 2640 ships in the Atlantic
  • YearTotal Ships SunkSunk By Submarine
    1939222114
    19401059471
    19411299432
    194216641160
    1943597377
    1944205132
    194510556

    • 40,000 men served on U-Boats during WWII; 30,000 never returned
    • US Daily Ammunition Expenditure In Tons
      ActionArmor divisionsInfantry divisions155mm battalions
      Attack436-832353-65866-121
      Defense596-969472-76886-142
      Pursuit1078315
      Delay32125651

France during the Second World War: Some random images

The British and French just made defence plans before the Blitzkrieg came. They came to naught. The German strategists were much shrewder and more aggressive.

Two pals having a good time. Hitler and Franco at a station in occupied France


A personal account of France then
A reporter for the London Times published his observations on defeated France shortly after its collapse:

"A problem for all who think about it is how to explain the amazing mental attitude which seems to prevail today in France. Most Frenchmen seem to regard the total collapse of their country with a resignation that has the appearance of indifference. They are, indeed, dazed by the rapidity of the collapse, but register no violent reaction to so great and unexpected a shock. Soldiers in considerable numbers are being demobilized and returning home, and so, it is felt, the catastrophe cannot be too appalling. The German propaganda machine is working on this state of mind. The R.A.F. attacks upon the aerodromes in the occupied region are used as evidence that the British, who have already deserted their Ally, are now making direct onslaughts on the Frenchman's home.

There is little interest among the ordinary people in the maneuvers of the Petain Government. The Marshal himself is not looked upon with any enthusiasm. His achievements as a soldier in the last War are generally recognized, but his last minute entry into politics makes little stir in the Frenchman's heart. On the other hand Laval [a lieutenant of Petain's and the real head of the government], who has never been popular, excites almost general distaste..."

Conditions in Vichy France

"Vichy, for a nation which has reached the nadir in its history, gives an excellent picture of a certain French state of mind. Naturally the place is crowded beyond capacity. It is full of well-to-do refugees from occupied France, as well as French officers, immaculately accoutered, and political aspirants. They crowd the cafes, hotels and boulevards. The refugees and officers are enjoying the calm and the mild pleasures to be had there.

The aspirants are busily fishing in the stirring political pool in the hope of finding an agreeable job. There is adequate food for those who can afford to buy it, always provided that you are not a butter lover or do not expect to find a wide selection of luxuries in the shops. Here is little evidence that France has suffered one of the greatest defeats in her history. Outside the boundaries of this temporary capital, food is not so plentiful, yet in a minor degree the same spirit of indifference exists. The men are returning fairly quickly to their homes and to the harvests which have been in many cases ruined by inattention. But it is hard to discover any serious attempt to meet the formidable problems which are threatening the Vichy Government."

Conditions in Occupied France

"The opinion is often expressed that occupied France is in a much better shape, in spite of all the devastation, than the unoccupied territory. The Germans for many reasons are trying to whip into shape that part of the country which has fallen into their sphere of influence. Their problem is especially serious.

North of Paris there exists a desert. Towns like Abbeville, Amiens, Cambrai, Arras, and scores of others are very largely destroyed, though in most places the churches and the cathedrals seem to be intact. The villages are deserted, the farmsteads empty.

Crops are rotting on the ground. The first wave of the German Army consumed everything. It was, in fact, until a week or two ago a land of the dead, metaphorically and literally, since the corpses of men and animals still littered the ground. Now the people are slowly creeping back, only to find that there is little to eat and less to do. Everywhere the first pick of what is going falls to the army of occupation, the second to those who work for their German masters, the scanty crumbs that remain are left for those who fulfill neither of these conditions."

Treatment of British Prisoners

"One case of refined cruelty was witnessed at Malines, where a body of British prisoners were being marched east. They were in full uniform except for their tin hats. These had been replaced by a variegated assortment of every kind of headgear, male or female: bowler hats, toppers, caps, homburgs, women's bonnets, berets, plumed Ascot models. A pathetically ridiculous spectacle. Its only purpose could have been to make the weary men look clownish or to suggest to the French inhabitants that British troops had been looting the shops. Other tales of discrimination between British and French prisoners of war are common. Nevertheless, on the whole, the treatment of prisoners whose care is left to the second-line troops is not too bad."

References:
This article was originally published in The Times of London on August 17, 1940, republished in The Times of London, Europe Under the Nazi Scourge (1941); Shirer, William L., The Collapse of the Third Republic: an inquiry into the fall of France in 1940 (1969).

Source: "France in Defeat, 1940," EyeWitness to History, www.eyewitnesstohistory.com (2006).


The triumphant Germans march into Paris. May 1940

The Germans race through the French countryside in 1940

The Germans examine a French tank.

A broken down French tank in 1940 in a french town. Symbolises the state of the French and British then against German onslaught

France, A town near the river Allier, June 1940. A French girls approaches a German NCO

French soldiers valiantly fire at Germans at Dunkirk, 1940. Pitiful.

After the liberation of France the gallant Frenchmen shaved off hair off a French woman who had relations with German soldiers during the occupation

Collaborators were shot.


A dead American soldier on a French beach after D-Day

Captured British POW. The Germans loiter on a light tank in France. 1940

A British vehicle abandoned during the failed raid on Dieppe. 1943

US soldiers with a Nazi flag in France

American officers interrogate a German officer. France 1944

 At last Paris is free! De Gaulle marches in triumph

FRANCE DURING WW2. A BRIEF OUTLINE

1940


10 May : The Germany divisions drive through Holland and Belgium, passing past the French defences via the North. the French try to hold back at Sedan, but the lines are broken on the 12th of May

27 May to 4 June : Operation Dynamo, the evacuation from Dunkirk, more than 300,000 French and British soilders where evacuated by boats of all types from the beach.

16 to 24 June : Operation Ariel and Operation Cycle, more than 150,000 Allied soldiers evacuated from the ports Cherbourg, St. Malo, Brest, St. Nazaire, La Pallice, Nantes and Le Havre.

14 June : Paris occupied by the Axis forces

16 June : Petain becomes leader of France

18 June : General de Gaulle called for resistance to the Germans in a broadcast made from London on

24 June : France officially surrenders to Germany

25 June : The Germany advance is halted and France is divided into two regions, The "Zone libre" is placed under the command of the French General Pétain, who was nothing more than a puppet, actin on behalf of the Nazis.

10 July : what is left of the French government hand over all powers to General Pétain, this is the end of the Third Republic in France, which was now a "State".

3 October : Publication "Statut des Juifs", which authorizes the internement of Jews.

Events during 1941

Autumn 1941, 10000 French join the "Forces Françaises Libres". This fighting force was not only built of French men, but aslo, men from Senegal, Chad, Cameroon, Algeria, Marocoo and Tunisia.

The "FFL", where placed under the orders of General Leclerc and his 2nd Armed Division 2eme Division Blindées.
Events during 1942

16 July : 12,884 non French Jews in Paris are taken to the Vélodrome d'Hiver and then sent to the concentration camps.

November : The "Zone Libre" is occupied by the Axis.

13 April : Jean Moulin, the most important figure of the French Resistance is parachuted into France. He dies after months of touture in 1943.

Events during 1944

2 April : ASCQ Near Lille 70 killed

6 April : Outrage AT IZIEU Central France capture of young jewish killed all deported

21 May : The massacre of Frayssinet near Tulle, Central France, 15 people killed

5 June : Paratroopers of the 82nd and 101st Airborne Divisions lauch attack on Sainte-Mère-Eglise

6 June : D-Day landings, Operation Overlord begins with landings on the beaches Silver Utah Gold

9 June : The Tulle Murders near Limoges, Central France, the SS murdered 99

10 June : Oradour-sur-Glane 2nd Waffen SS Panzer Division Das Reich, drove into Oradour and killed everyone that they could find, a total of 642 men, women and children, with only 6 people escaping.

26 June : Cherbourg liberated by American troops.

9 July : Caen is liberated by the Allies.

15 August : Landing in Provence

18 August : Liberation of Paris begins and ends 25 August 1944

12 September : Liberation of Dijon

19 September : Nancy liberated by US First Army.

30 September : German garrison in Calais surrenders to Canadian troops.

24 November : Strasbourg liberated by French troops.

16 December 1944: Battle of the Bulge

The end of the war in Europe

1945

Capitulation of Germany and the signature of the Armistice in Reims, which marks the end of the Second World War in Europe.

RELATED----
France surrenders: June 1940: WW2
Victorious Germans march through Paris: June 1940

BRANDON CURRY 02



























"Do you feel awesome yet?"

That’s what The Husband kept asking me after my FIRST RACE EVAH !!! on Halloween.  :)  It was superfantastic, I loved it, and I’m totally hooked!


Okay, so here’s how it went down:


My whole house had to wake up at 6 a.m.  The sun wasn’t even up yet, but The Husband happily rose out of bed and got ready.  The kids, well, they’re kids.  ;)  Our friend who was visiting isn’t a morning person, but she got up, too!!   I ate a banana with a cup of coffee and then some water.  Strapped on my Vibrams (heh, that sounds so dirty!) and wrapped my left leg in the truck.  I drank some coconut water on the way there.  We got there about 30 min before the start.  Most everyone was waiting inside as it was about 33 degrees outside in the wind!  It was fun to look around at the people who had dressed up… I should have taken pictures, but I was so nervous I didn’t think to!   I’ll do better next time.  :)


Well, finally the time came to go outside and line up.  Squeeeee!!!!  I was so excited and totally nervous!!!  There were so many people!!  There was some talking, rules explained (“make sure you go over the timing mat!”), the national anthem and the countdown.  And we were off!!!!  OHMYGAWD!!!  I was on my way!!  But not fast like a lot of those people because I’m not fast.  It didn’t take too long before I realized my ears were cold and I had forgotten to pull my fleece headband up, DUH!!!  So oh-so-uncoordinated me had to pull my earbuds out (yes, I was listening to music so I could drown out my own crazy-ass labored breathing–it was freakin’ cold!!!) and pull my headband up with one hand, wearing gloves, without falling on my face.  No, seriously.  I’m so not graceful.


Now, I had checked out the route because as previously stated, I was really fucking nervous.  No, I know.  But seriously.  Don’t be a douche-monkey-curse-word-Nazi.  That word gets across how serious I am about my level of nervousness!!!  Anyway, I checked out the course on Wednesday and all it did was increase my anxiety.  Why?  Shit, I don’t know!!!  Maybe because this was my FIRST RACE EVAH!!!   The course started in front of Bass Pro, went down Campbell (normally a very busy main thoroughfare) and turned to the right into neighborhoods.


My goal was to not be the last 5K runner in.  That was my whole plan.  Oh, and run as much as I could.  But up until this point, I hadn’t run more then 2.67 miles.  So I had already resigned myself to a 45 minute (or more) 5K and figured, “Hey! That leaves a shit-ton of room for improvement!”  :)  I expected people to pass me, DUH, but I had already picked out a few that had better not.  They didn’t.


But you wanna know who did???  A chick in some “sexy cop” costume with super short, hawt tight shorts.  What an ass!  Oh, sorry.  *Ahem*  At about a mile, I was passed by a middle aged dude wearing khakis, a TWEED sport coat, and a nice fedora.  Damn, that sucked.  He passed me on the right as we made a left turn.  I looked to my left and saw a “chef” with a “knife” (whew, it was plastic) going by at a nice clip.  Crap!  People with PROPS are passing me!!  Oh swells.  As long as that “bunch of grapes” lady stays behind me….


About halfway they had dudes with Powerade.  I wasn’t so much thirsty as I was curious to see if I could grab the cup without spilling it all over the place.  :)  Heh heh.  I.AM.AWESOME.  I spilled it on my shirt while trying to DRINK it, but I didn’t spill that shit when I grabbed it!!  Muahahahaha!!!


Powerade down just in time for what is, to me, a decent hill.   Luckily, I have occasionally run on similar hills in my OWN neighborhood.  I tried some Zentri (“I see you hill”) and made it like 3/4 of the way up before I thought about stopping.  I didn’t tho.  Not on that one!  Later, there were some more “inclines” that I made it about 1/2 way up, walked a few seconds and then finished it.  Heh, turns out the hills see me right back!


Know what else saw me on that hill?  That damn “bunch of grapes”.  She knew what the hell she was doing.  Oh, maybe I should explain.  Grape lady was this older lady with pink hair whose costume was a bunch of purple balloons somehow attached to her person.  Yea, she passed me.  I’m boycotting wine for a while.


About 1/4 mile out, I stopped.  NO, I’M JUST KIDDING!!!  I’m no Bobbo.  ;)  But for real, I got passed by a kid.  She looked to be about 9 or 10.  Man, she looked all smooth and was starting to pull away from her own mom!!!  Good for her, but damn her for passing me.  Boooooo.  Right after that, some weirdo wearing black came flying up, apparently pacing himself by the race ambassador on the bicycle.  Crazy.


Not much farther and I finally stopped getting passed.  I knew I was almost done, so I looked back to make SURE there were people running behind me.  I didn’t look to see what color their bibs were so that I could pretend they were ALL 5K RUNNERS and not WALKERS or 10K runners.  :)  I saw a good-sized group back there and thought, “Whew! All is not lost!”.


Then I was in that final stretch.  There was a group on the right cheering.  There was a group on my left with miniature cowbells.  And up ahead I could see that final turn into the store (yea, it ended in the store). “OHMYGOODGRAVYI’MREALLYGOINGTOFINISHTHISFUCKINGTHING!!!” Shut up, fool, if you want to know what was going through my head, THAT was exactly what I was thinking!!!  Closer, closer, closer… Scan the crowd… Where are they?  I know they’re there… Closer, closer… THERE they are!!!  I see them!!  The Husband, The Kids and Kat!!!  Sweet!!  And the people are cheering and clapping.  One more turn… Into the store.  Hey, there’s a clock!  35 what???!!!  No, I had to see that wrong.  Keep running until you’re over the mats!!!  Dude, I know you’re there to take my picture but you’re kinda in my way.  Thanks.



DONE!!! I JUST FINISHED MY FIRST 5K, BITCH!!!  Oooooh, cooooool!  A free towel and YES I’ll have some water!


I found a place out of the way and cracked that water open… YUM!  Then I pulled my iPhone out of my pocket to check my program…. It said 35:45.  HOT DAMN!  That’s insane!  For me, that’s fucking FAST!


The Husband, The Kids and Kat found me… Hugs and congrats all around and that’s the 1st time The Husband asked me, “Do you feel awesome yet?”.  I was trying not to be emotional because I was superfucking proud of myself right at that moment and in danger of going all female and crying, so I can’t remember what i said.  He asked me again later, when we got home, and yea.  I feel pretty damn awesome.  :)


Thank you to The Husband, The Kids and Kat for dragging your asses out of bed to support me in my first race!  Thanks so much to everyone who encouraged me and was excited for me!  And thank you, “coach” dude, for your suggestions and awesome willingness to help me be able to “do the work”.


I can’t wait to do it again!!!  :)


Official times:

225 22/45 4016 Amy Gordy 34 F Republic MO 35:01 11:18



FEMALE AGE GROUP 30 - 34 (500)
21 4016 Amy Gordy Republic MO 34 F 35:01 11:18












"Shobha Karandlaje" - An interview by Malavika of "Baduku Jataka Bandi"

Seems a honest and young politician from the interview. I had never seen her before and Shobha seemed to be a victim of "dirty Reddy brother politics"... Hope Shobha can become Jayalalitha of Karnataka .. :)


"Shobha Karandlaje" - An interview by Malavika of "Baduku Jataka Bandi"

Seems a honest and young politician from the interview. I had never seen her before and Shobha seemed to be a victim of "dirty Reddy brother politics"... Hope Shobha can become Jayalalitha of Karnataka .. :)