Author Archive

To help give an idea of the immense size of the various concentration camps, I have found this areial photo of the Dachau Concentration Camp. From the air, it looks like an army base with lots of barracks and other buildings.

View the Daschau Concentration Camp.

It is always fascinating to see the equipment that was used by soldiers in past conflicts. This list is what was given to new inductees at Camp Lee, VA in 1943 during WWII.

2 Tags, Identification
1 Raincoat
1 Shaving brush
1 Tooth brush
1 Comb
1 Razor w/5 b1ades
2 Towels, huck
1 Towel, bath
2 Barrack bags
5 Drawers, Cotton
5 Undershirts, Cotton
2 Shirts, Wool, O.D.
2 Shirts, Cotton, Khaki
1 Jacket, Field
2 Trousers, Wool, O.D.
2 Trousers, Cotton, Khaki
1 Pr. Leggins
1 Pr. Gloves, Wool.
1 Belt, Web, Waist
1 Coat, Serge, O.D.
1 Overcoat, Wool O.D.
2 Jackets, Herringbone Twill
2 Trousers, Herringbone Twill
1 Hat, Herringbone Twill
1 Liner, Helmet w/l Neckband and 1 headband
1 Cap, Garrison, O.D.
2 Caps, Garrison, Khaki
1 Cap, Wool, Knit
1 Meat Can
1 Knife
1 Fork
1 Spoon
4 Handkerchiefs, Cotton
1 Tape for Ind. Tags, Cotton
1 Canteen
1 Cover, Canteen
1 Cup, Canteen
1 Manual, Basic Field
2 Neckties, Mohair
3 Pr. Socks, Wool, Light
5 Pr. Socks, Cotton, Tan
2 Pr. Shoes, Service
While being issued all these items, they were given instructions to be sure every item was issued to them because they were financially responsible for all the items that they were given in case they were lost or damaged.

Propoganda was a central theme of Nazi Germany. The level of supportive rhetoric of the Nazi Regime was one of the key components of keeping the German people whipped up to a fever pitch during the war. Without this spin on behalf of the leaders, the Nazi war machine would not have been nearly as powerful.

Like most brainwashing, the avalanche started with a small start. It was in 1927 when the propoganda about the Nazis and what they could do for their people started. Each year, the Nazis grew more and more brazen in their propoganda campaign and as they became more brazen, their power grew as the propoganda was targeted to the discontented who were looking for a solution to take Germany out of its doldrums from the first world war.

The propoganda, looked at through the lens of history, makes a fascinating study of how the press can be used to communicate a message strongly enough and long enough for it to be accepted by a population. And with acceptance comes power to the people propogating the message.

Calvin College has an extensive archive of Nazi propoganda online – all translated into English – starting from 1927 all the way through the end of World War II. It covers this entire period with a collection of essays, articles, news clippings and multimedia – and includes the buildup to the war, wartime propoganda activities and a tremendous amount of anti semitic propoganda to justify and support the onging holocaust.

The Eisenhower Library is a central repository for many documents related to the extermination of the Jews and other races during the Holocaust. The documents describe atrocities in the concentration and extermination camps, documents related to the concerns of high level leaders to these sabage acts and much more.

Many of these documents are online and are directly accessible from the Eisenhower Library web page.

Here is a sampling of the documents available there:

• Investigation Report on the Life in a German Extermination Camp (Kz Natzweiler) and the Atrocities Committed There. 1941-1944″
• Economic Life in Poland (Report covering period from January 1st to April 30th, 1942), which includes a 13-page description of varous concentration camps, July 1942
• Report on Atrocities Committeed by the Germans Against the Civilian Population of Belgium, February 1945, by Hq. 21 Army Group
• Letter, General Dwight D. Eisenhower to British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, enclosing photographs from the Ohrdruf Concentration Camp, 4/18/45
• Telegram, Winston Churchill to Dwight Eisenhower re inspection teams to be sent to Ohrdruf Camp, 4/21/45
• Letter, Alexander Frieder to Dwight Eisenhower re victory in Europe and the decision to allow inspections of the concentration camps, 6/1/45
• Telegram, General Eisenhower to General George Marshall concerning Nazi horrors; requests visit by members of Congress and the media, 4/19/45
• Inspection of German concentration camp for political prisoners located at Buckenwald on the north edge of Weimaar – made by Brig. Gen. Eric F. Wood, Lt. Col. Chas. H. Ott, and CWO. S.M. Dye, on the morning of 16th April 1945.”
• and many more

The 1939 New York World’s Fair time capsule was created by Westinghouse as part of their exhibit. It measured 90 inches in height, weighed 800 pounds and had an interior diameter of 6.5 inches. It was constructed of a copper, chromium and silver alloy which Westinghouse named “Cupaloy”, which they claimed was harder than steel. It contained everyday items such as a spool of thread and doll, a Book of Record, a vial of staple food crop seeds, a microscope and a 15-minute RKO Pathe Pictures newsreel. Microfilm spools condensed the contents of a Sears Roebuck catalog, dictionary, almanac, and other texts.