World War II

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Reviled Japanese Admiral Hoped to Avoid War With US

Isoroku Yamamoto attacked Pearl Harbor after losing that argument

(Newser) - Isoroku Yamamoto was once one of the most reviled men in America, and no wonder: He was the Japanese admiral who devised and carried out the attack on Pearl Harbor. But author Ian W. Toll uses the 70th anniversary to point out that before the attack, Yamamoto led the debate...

70 Years Later, Survivors Return to Pearl Harbor
 Pearl Harbor Veterans 
 Return to Rest in Peace 
70 years later
Dec 7, 2011 7:17 AM CST

Pearl Harbor Veterans Return to Rest in Peace

Some vets choosing to be interred among old shipmates

(Newser) - As the US prepares to mark 70 years since the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, some servicemen who survived the attack have returned to the site permanently. The ashes of Lee Soucy, who died last year at the age of 90, have been interred in the USS Utah with the...

Cops Raid Homes of 6 Ex-SS Soldiers

Germany probing 1944 massacre in occupied France

(Newser) - German police have raided the homes of six former SS soldiers suspected of having taken part in the worst massacre of civilians in Nazi-occupied France. A German war crimes prosecutor says the John Demjanjuk trial inspired him to reopen the investigation into the massacre of 642 men, women, and children...

Iran Embassy Raiders Stole Invasion Plans—for D-Day

Protesters 68 years too late to thwart Allied invasion

(Newser) - The Iranians who ransacked the British embassy in Tehran last week made off with some documents labeled "Most Secret" that outlined plans for a massive invasion involving the UK and the US. The intel comes nearly 70 years too late, however: The stolen documents dated from 1943 and outlined...

Germany Defusing WWII-Era Bomb
 Germany Defuses
 WWII-Era Bomb 
UPDATED
Dec 4, 2011 2:34 PM CST

Germany Defuses WWII-Era Bomb

Thousands evacuated from city of Koblenz

(Newser) - Germany today successfully defused a massive unexploded World War II-era bomb it found in a depleted riverbed in Koblenz, reports the AP , after having evacuated some 45,000 residents. The 1.8-ton bomb could have wreaked serious damage if it exploded. Experts also defused a 275-pound American bomb found alongside...

Last of Polish Pilots Who Foiled Hitler in UK Dead at 97

Tadeusz Sawicz earned high military honors for bravery

(Newser) - A Polish fighter pilot believed to have been the last of those who fought alongside the English to stop Hitler's advance in the Battle of Britain has died at 97, reports the New York Daily News . After the Nazis took over his homeland in 1939, Tadeusz Sawicz made his...

WWII Vets Receive Mystery Cards From China

Befuddled Texas vet gets reporter to snoop online

(Newser) - World War II veterans are discovering mysterious postcards from China in their mailboxes. "It takes a strong man to save himself, a great man to save another," read one card, sent to a befuddled vet living near Houston. "Thank you for 1944. From China." 88-year-old veteran...

Letter Baring Hitler's Jewish Hatred Goes on Display

Chillingly warns of 'removal' of Jews under 'strong' nation

(Newser) - A Jewish "hate letter" written by Adolf Hitler will go on public display for the first time ever in a Los Angeles museum. The four-page typed letter, written years before Hitler came to power and believed to be his first significant writing about Jews, expresses his disdain for Jews...

Hugo Boss 'Sorry' for Founder's Nazi Past

Book on company's wartime history released

(Newser) - After the end of World War II, Hugo Boss said he had supported the Nazis to keep the company he founded afloat. But the fashion firm has admitted that there was another reason: He was a big fan of the Nazis. Boss—who was Hitler's favorite tailor and supplied...

Polish Monument to Massacre of Jews Vandalized

Vandals write 'they were flammable'

(Newser) - A horrifying story with a cruel twist: Vandals have graffitied a monument in Poland that marked the spot where as many as 400 Jews were burned alive in a barn during World War II. But in addition to defacing it with a spray-painted green swastika, they wrote the unthinkable: "...

Bataan Death March Survivor Dies at 105

Doctors told Albert Brown he wouldn't make it to 50

(Newser) - The oldest known American survivor of World War II's infamous Bataan Death March has died at the age of 105—after living 55 years longer than doctors said he could expect to. Army captain Albert "Doc" Brown was among 78,000 American and Filipinos forced to trek 65...

UK Spies Plotted to Feed Hitler Estrogen

They hoped an Adolf 'herr' to 'her' transformation might curb violence

(Newser) - In one of the British forces' wackier schemes to rid the world of Adolph Hitler's violence, secret agents plotted to slip estrogen in the fuhrer's food in a bid to tame his aggression, according to a new book. The estrogen would be tasteless and the transformation gradual as...

For Sale: Portraits of Hitler's Parents

Expert says they are original, could go for $100K

(Newser) - If, for some reason, you would really like a couple of original portraits of Adolf Hitler's dear old mom and dad (and you have $100,000) ... you're in luck. The portraits of Alois and Klara Hitler, missing since World War II ended, have been in the possession of...

Bones of Hitler Deputy Exhumed, Burned

Rudolf Hess's grave had become pilgrimage site for neo-Nazis

(Newser) - The bones of Adolf Hitler's deputy have been removed from their grave in a small Bavarian town after it became a pilgrimage site for neo-Nazis. The administrator of the cemetery in Wunsiedel told the AP today that Rudolf Hess' bones were exhumed early yesterday. The remains were cremated and...

Skull Discovered in Pearl Harbor

Experts certain it's not Hawaiian, may be Japanese

(Newser) - Forensic scientists are conducting tests on a skull unearthed at the bottom of Pearl Harbor to determine if it is that of a Japanese pilot who died in the historic attack on Dec. 7, 1941. An excavation crew dredging the harbor recently made the startling discovery; after early analysis, an...

Mietek Pemper, 'Schindler’s List' Typist, Dead at 91
 'Schindler’s List' 
 Typist Dead at 91 
Obituary
Jun 19, 2011 5:29 AM CDT

'Schindler’s List' Typist Dead at 91

Mietek Pemper convinced Schindler to make munitions to save prisoners' lives

(Newser) - Mietek Pemper, the Jewish prisoner who created "Schindler's List"—a list of concentration camp workers "essential" to the Nazi war effort, which saved hundreds from extermination—has died at age 91, reports the New York Times . Pemper was secretary for the commandant of the Plaszow concentration...

Philippines, US to Search for WWII MIAs

The two countries hope to give fallen soldiers a proper burial after 65 years

(Newser) - The Philippines and the United States have signed an accord to jointly search for the remains of American troops missing in action in the Philippines during World War II. The "statement of intent" signed today by Philippine Foreign Secretary Albert del Rosario and Ambassador Harry Thomas Jr. was the...

Pope Talks About Life Under Nazis

Benedict XVI calls it a 'dark time'

(Newser) - German-born Pope Benedict XVI rarely talks about when he was conscripted into the Hitler Youth as a teen. But yesterday, in an audience with a German Catholic group, Benedict made a rare mention of life under the Nazis, calling it a "dark time," reports the AP . "It...

Hidden WWII Report: Japanese Americans No Threat

Neal Katyal 'sets the record straight' at event honoring Asian Americans

(Newser) - Though widely condemned by scholars and judges, the World War II internment of Japanese Americans has never been formally denounced by the Justice Department—until yesterday. Acting Solicitor Gen. Neal Katyal, the top US government courtroom attorney, admitted US misconduct and harshly criticized the actions of one of his predecessors....

Separated in WWII Camp in 1945, Man Finds Family

George Jaunzemis had no idea he was taken from Germany as a toddler

(Newser) - A man who was separated from his mother at the end of World War II and raised in New Zealand is meeting his German family for the first time after discovering his true identity. George Jaunzemis, 69, was only a toddler when he was separated from his mother at a...

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