A Typical Day for an Allied Soldier in the Trenches

Image courtesy of Mary Evans Picture Library

U-Boats

What were U-Boats?

U-Boats (abbreviation of Unterseeboot meaning “undersea boat”) were German Submarine that were used to destroy enemy ships.

When was the U-Boat first used?

On 31st 1917, Germany announced that U-Boats would engage in unrestricted submarine warfare beginning on the 1st of February

How many U-Boats were actually made?

1,162 U-Boats were made  in WW2 and 375 in WW2

How many ships did U-Boats sink in WW1?

430 Allied and neutral ships were sunk during the period of World War 1.

How many ships did U-Boats sink in WW2?

During the time of World War 2, U-Boats sank roughly 2,780 ships.

What was the biggest ship sunk by a U-Boat?

The Empress of Britain is claimed to be the largest ship that was sunk by a German U-Boat. She weight approximately 42,348 GRT.

How deep could U-Boats dive?

U-Boats usually had a collapse depth range of between 200 and 280 metres (660 to 920 feet).

 

Revolt at Sobibor

Summary:

By the summer of 1943, the number of transports to Sobibor had decresed dramatically. Many of the prisoners suspected that the end was nearing. In July, a group of inmates organised an underground unit. They devised a plan. The SS officers would be lured into storehouses thinking that they were being given new coats and boots. Once inside the building, they would be attacked by the prisoners and killed by weapons that the resistancers had gathered. The camp would be set ablaze at roll call and everyone would have the chance to run for fredom. Once they were outside the gates, they would be on their own.

At 4:00pm on October 19, 1943, the first SS soldier was kiled with an axe. 10 more SS wen and other Ukranian guards were killed as well. Within an hour, the camp was buring and the first group of prisoners fled across the German mine fields that were surrounding the camp.

At dusk, more than half the prisoners (about 300 people) had escaped. Most were killed by Nazi pursuers or died crossing the minefield. It is estimated that only 50 of the people that escaped survived the war.

After the uprising, the Germans destroyed all remaining traces of Sobibor. At the end of 1943, the remains death camp were underneath crops. Between March 1942 and October 1943, at least 167,ooo people has been murdered at Sobibor.

 

The Night of Broken Glass

Introduction:

The Night of Broken Glass (also known as Kristallnacht) was an anti jewish massacre that happened in Germany, Austria and areas of Czechoslovakia.

When did it happen?

It happened on the night of November 9/10 1938

What instigated this pogrom?

After the ‘Night of Broken Glass’ happened, German officials announced that it was the retaliation of the death of Ernst vom Rath. Vom Rath was a German diplomat that was assasinated by a Polish jew,Herschel Grynszpan, on November 7, 1938.

The Night of 9/10 November:

Violence began to erupt in various parts of the German Empire in the late hours of the night and early hours of the morning. At 1:20 a.m. on November 10, Reinhard Heydrich, sent an urgent telegram containing instructions regarding the riots.As a result of the telegram, The SA and Hitler Youth started to destroy jewish-owned homes and buisnesses.

Reinhard Heydrich’s Orders:

Heydrich’s orders goes as follows:

The “spontaneous” rioters were to take no measures endangering non-Jewish German life or property; they were not to subject foreigners (even Jewish foreigners) to violence; and they were to remove all synagogue archives prior to vandalizing synagogues and other properties of the Jewish communities, and to transfer that archival material to the Security Service (Sicherheitsdienst, or SD). The orders also indicated that police officials should arrest as many Jews as local jails could hold, preferably young, healthy men.

Statistics and Facts:

• The SA and Hitler Youth destroyed 267 synagogues throughout the German Empire
• ‘The Night of Broken Glass’ claimed the lives of at least 91 Jews
• During the aftermath, there were high figures of rape and suicide.
• ‘The Night of Broken Glass’ marks the first instance in which the Nazis murdered Jews on a large scale because of their religion

Pictures:

Gestapo

Introduction:

The GeheimeStaatspolizei (also know as the Gestapo) was the secret police force that was formed during WW2 in Nazi Germany. The main purpose of the Gestapo was to hunt down anybody that was considered a threat to Nazi Germany. One of the other purposes of the Gestapo was to fight the threat of resistance movements

Who were the people that were classified as a threat to Nazi Germany?

The people that were classified as a ‘threat’ to Nazi Germany where:

• Jews
• Communists
• Jehovah witnesses
• Homosexuals
• Mentally/Physically disabled individuals

 

 -> Gestapo Flag

 

How big was the Gestapo?

The gestapo was a relatively small size. With only 32,000 personnel at the end of 1944, the Gestapo had to rely on local police forces to conduct its investigated.

Facts about the Gestapo:

1. GeheimeStaatspolizei means ‘Secret State Police’.
2. It was formed in April 1934 by Hermann Göring but was continued under the leadership of Heinhich Himmler.
3. The Gestapo was deemed a ‘criminal organisation’ by the jury during the Nuremburg Trials.
4. There were 5 sections of the Gestapo. (Sections A, B, C, D and E)
5. The Gestapo were not affected by the law. They only had to act upon direct orders from Hitler himself

Interrogation Methods:

There were many methods that were used by the Gestapo during interrogation. Many of these methods were psychological rather than physical. Here are some examples:

•  Leaving an individual in prison for weeks or months to create fear and weaken his/her resistance
• Examinations could take up to 20 hours without food or a rest
• They would arrest contacts and compare answers that were given. If the answers differed, they would be sent back to prison.
• The Gestapo would threaten an individual and it would often look like they were losing their temper
• Would tell the individuals that they were not to go to bed as they were going to be examined. The Gestapo would then postpone the examination. This could happened many times and often they would be examined without warning
• Some members would try to drown the arrestees, break their backs, or any number of other torture method to try and break the individual

Post War:

Many members of the Gestapo were put on trial during the Nuremburg Trials. The sentences ranged from the death penalty to varying lengths of imprisonment.

HMAS Sydney vs SMS Emden

The SMS Emden was a German raider-cruiser that was located in the Pacific Islands. 25 allied cargo ships and 2 warships had been destroyed or taken captive by the Emden. It soon became on of the most feared enemy ships sailing the seas.

On November 9th 1914, The SMS Emden was in the process of attacking a British wireless and cable station when the commanding officer, Karl Von Muller, was alerted that there was an enemy ship approaching. It was the HMAS Sydney. The staff on the Island were able to make a distress call and that call was received before the station was attacked.

The Sydney was ordered to attack the German cruiser. The Emden started the firing with the first few shots missing the Sydney. They soon hit the Sydney, causing some damage. However, the HMAS Sydney had the advantage because it was faster and had a larger firing range. The Sydney was able to move out of range but the Emden was still able to hit the allied ship.

The Emden was close to being out of action so Von Muller ordered the crew to aground the ship. With 134 men killed in the battle, the SMS Emden surrendered, waving a white flag.

This was the Royal Australian Navy’s first victory and the end to the Emden’s reign.