This seems to be a largely untold story
A behind the scenes narrative that the Oppenheimer movie did not reveal.
How did the United States union fall apart in 1860?
Journalists re-investigate the origins of the United States civil war
I learned a lot by reading this item. You may too. I find the politics of the time especially fascinating.
A very rare animated movie of the sinking of the passenger liner Lusitania in 1915
This is believed to be the first recorded animated movie in history
About the Lusitania:
The sinking of the Lusitania is widely regarded as the catalyst for the United States to enter into World War 1 in the war against Germany. This is one of the reasons that I have created this blog because I feel that the sinking of the Lusitania is an important part of global history. I will quote an extract from an online article that sheds a little more light on the Lusitania. 1,119 of the 1,924 aboard died that day.
Quote:
“The Lusitania made her maiden voyage from Liverpool to New York in September 1907. Construction had begun in 1903 with the goal of building the fastest liner afloat. Her engines produced 68,000-horse power and pushed the giant through the water at an average speed over 25 knots. Dubbed the “Greyhound of the Seas” she soon captured the Blue Ribbon for the fastest Atlantic crossing…
…On May 7 1915, the ship neared the coast of Ireland. At 2:10 in the afternoon a torpedo fired by the German submarine U 20 slammed into her side. A mysterious second explosion ripped the liner apart. Chaos reigned. The ship listed so badly and quickly that lifeboats crashed into passengers crowded on deck, or dumped their loads into the water. Most passengers never had a chance. Within 18 minutes the giant ship slipped beneath the sea. One thousand one hundred nineteen of the 1,924 aboard died. The dead included 114 Americans.”
Below is the article cited above:
http://www.eyewitnesstohistory.com/snpwwi2.htm
Below is the animated movie:
Lesser known facts about WW2
I believe this is a blog containing many interesting little stories that you have probably never heard of before.
34 interesting facts about WW2
The Battle of Stalingrad. A quality four part WW2 documentary
I think many people may not know how this battle was won and how it permanently defined history
“The Battle of Stalingrad (23 August 1942 — 2 February 1943)was a major battle of World War II in which Nazi Germany and its allies fought the Soviet Union for control of the city of Stalingrad (now Volgograd) in the south-western Soviet Union. Marked by constant close quarters combat and disregard for military and civilian casualties, it is amongst the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare. The heavy losses inflicted on the Wehrmacht make it arguably the most strategically decisive battle of the whole war. It was a turning point in the European theatre of World War II–the German forces never regained the initiative in the East and withdrew a vast military force from the West to reinforce their losses.
The German offensive to capture Stalingrad began in late summer 1942 using the 6th Army and elements of the 4th Panzer Army. The attack was supported by intensive Luftwaffe bombing that reduced much of the city to rubble. The fighting degenerated into building-to-building fighting, and both sides poured reinforcements into the city. By mid-November 1942, the Germans had pushed the Soviet defenders back at great cost into narrow zones generally along the west bank of the Volga River.
On 19 November 1942, the Red Army launched Operation Uranus, a two-pronged attack targeting the weaker Romanian and Hungarian forces protecting the German 6th Army’s flanks. The Axis forces on the flanks were overrun and the 6th Army was cut off and surrounded in the Stalingrad area. Adolf Hitler ordered that the army stay in Stalingrad and make no attempt to break out; instead, attempts were made to supply the army by air and to break the encirclement from the outside. Heavy fighting continued for another two months. By the beginning of February 1943, the Axis forces in Stalingrad had exhausted their ammunition and food. The remaining elements of the 6th Army surrendered. The battle lasted five months, one week, and three days.”
Note: The presentation hyperlink provided below is to a wider general armyupress presentation.
The SS Ohio. A story about a merchant ship that changed the course of World War 2.
World war two history enthusiasts will probably see the importance of this rarely known about this wartime event. A documentary.
The reality of the 1982 Falkland’s war as seen through the eyes of a British soldier
This soldier took rare photographs during his posting in the Falklands conflict. Some have never been published before.
Story and images relating thereto here. I think you will find some images from this BBC story are interesting and thought provoking.
A survivor of the famous World War two German warship Bismarck tells us all [2]
The Bismarck was one of two of the largest and most powerful battleships that the Germans built. Its sister ship the Tirpitz and the Bismarck could have jointly determined the fate of the European theatre of World War two. The might have closed all sea lanes feeding the British war effort.
If you are a World War two military historian I feel that you could become engrossed by the contents of this linked article I have copied and pasted for your benefit. I have copied and pasted it this way in case the original story is removed from being online. I feel the story is far to valuable to do otherwise.
This article is an extract from a book written by the most senior survivor of the Bismarck Burkard Baron von Mullenheim-Rechberg. The author presets us with an intimate blow by blow account of the Bismarck’s encounter with the British navy far west of France in the Atlantic ocean on 27th May 1941 and its final demise.
If you do not know much about this significant event in World War two maritime history you may see these two additional links of some value too:
The great WW2 German prisoner of war escape tunnel site revisited
If you have never heard about this fascinating story of war time audacity, bravery and heroism I urge you to read on.
On March 24th 1944 seventy six prisoners of war escaped from a heavily fortified German prisoners of war camp. The camp was designed to be escape proof. Hitler was furious. Unfortunately for the escapees things did not go to plan because of a survey error that meant that the exit point of the primary tunnel of three fell just short of the thick woods where it was planned to be. Three escapees made it back to England, twenty six were captured and locked up again and the remainder were executed under Hitlers orders. The tunnel names were Tom, Dick and Harry. Harry was 102 meters long. Click here if you have never heard about this history making story. This copy is taken from the original professionally posted article as cited at the end of the text.
Hermann Goering’s war train
Herman Goering was amongst the top ten of Nazi Germany’s ruling elites. He was a first class fighter pilot in WW1 and commanded the German air force (Luftwaffe) during WW2. It was not unusual for German leaders to have their own luxury trains. Hitler had one too. Goering set up a sophisticated command center on his train and it was used for accommodation purposes too. There is some rare Goering’s train footage in this video.. If you enjoy reading and viewing unusual stories relating to war history I think you will enjoy the information contained within the various links of this blog.