In 1944, Christmas was celebrated for the sixth time since the Second World War had broken out on September 1, 1939. Men who often shared the same religious background fought each other to the death in sharp contrast with the old Christmas message of Peace on Earth. Christmas under Fire, 1944 tells about this last war time Christmas. Below an excerpt from this book. This part is about how Christmas was used in Nazi propaganda.
New on Youtube, from the makers and creators of Youtube channel 'The Great War', the Second World War week by week, 6 years long.
Christmas under Fire, 1944 - The Last Christmas of World War II
Volker Griesser is the writer of The Lions of Carentan, a book about he Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 6 during the period 1943-1945. We asked the author some questions by e-mail.
On Saturday afternoon (26 October 2019) in the one and a half weeks of commemoration of the liberation of 's-Hertogenbosch there was a ceremony and an exhibition of military vehicles at De Parade, the center of the commemorations.
Volker Griesser is the writer of The Lions of Carentan, a book about he Fallschirmjäger-Regiment 6 during the period 1943-1945. We asked the author some questions by e-mail.
New on Youtube, from the makers and creators of Youtube channel 'The Great War', the Second World War week by week, 6 years long.
In 1944, Christmas was celebrated for the sixth time since the Second World War had broken out on September 1, 1939. Men who often shared the same religious background fought each other to the death in sharp contrast with the old Christmas message of Peace on Earth. Christmas under Fire, 1944 tells about this last war time Christmas. Below an excerpt from this book. This part is about how American GI’s shared Christmas with the Europeans that were liberated by them and about the tragedy with the Léopoldville.
New on Youtube, from the makers and creators of Youtube channel 'The Great War', the Second World War week by week, 6 years long.
New on Youtube, from the makers and creators of Youtube channel 'The Great War', the Second World War week by week, 6 years long.
New on Youtube, from the makers and creators of Youtube channel 'The Great War', the Second World War week by week, 6 years long.
On Saturday afternoon (26 October 2019) in the one and a half weeks of commemoration of the liberation of 's-Hertogenbosch there was a ceremony and an exhibition of military vehicles at De Parade, the center of the commemorations.
On Saturday afternoon (26 October 2019) in the one and a half weeks of commemoration of the liberation of 's-Hertogenbosch there was a parade of all kinds of military material from and to De Parade, the center of the commemorations.
New on Youtube, from the makers and creators of Youtube channel 'The Great War', the Second World War week by week, 6 years long.
New on Youtube, from the makers and creators of Youtube channel 'The Great War', the Second World War week by week, 6 years long.
How was Christmas celebrated and experienced during 1944, the last year of World War II? This question is answered in the newly published book Christmas under Fire, 1944, written by the Dutch WW2 expert Kevin Prenger.
New on Youtube, from the makers and creators of Youtube channel 'The Great War', the Second World War week by week, 6 years long.
On the Saturday afternoon in the weekend of the commemorations of the Battle of Arnhem, the Race to the Bridge is held. It's a convoy of historic vehicles which follows the route of the Airbornes in 1944 from the landing zones near Renkum to the John Frost Bridge in Arnhem. On the way back the column drives through Oosterbeek via the Utrechsteweg.
On Friday 20 September 2019 the interment of ashes of two veterans of the Battle of Arnhem took place at the Oosterbeek War Cemetery. First was the ceremony for private Steve Morgan of the 2nd Battalion Parachute Regiment. The second ceremony was for private Dennis Collier of 156 Battalion Parachute Regiment. Both veterans attended frequently the annual commemorations of the Battle of Arnhem. The Oosterbeek War Cemetery is the only location where the Commonwealth War Graves Commission allows interments of ashes.
On 20 September 2019 a memorial was unveiled in Opheusden to commemorate all plane crashes during World War II in the Neder-Betuwe region. The memorial ‘Airmen in the line of fire’ consists of a main element made of a column with the silhouette of an aircraft. On both sides there are two rows, 16 columns in total, each showing the silhouette of an aircraft. They symbolise the 16 aircraft that crashed in the area of Neder-Betuwe during World War II. An information panel nearby illustrates the history in brief. This panel and each column refer to a website with information on each aircraft and its crew. The combined Committees 4/5 May in Neder-Betuwe are responsible for the memorial and its unveiling.
On 19 September 2019 a memorial was unveiled to [bioid]102,Flight Lieutenant David Samuel Anthony Lord VC DFC[/bioid] at the Reijerskamp in Wolfheze Netherlands. It was at that day exactly 75 years ago that David Lord crashed with his Dakota on Landing Zone S during a resupply flight for the 1st Airnborne Division which was fighting the Battle of Arnhem. David was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his brave attempt to drop the supplies at the right place although his aircraft was on fire.
The commemoration at the Airborne memorial in Wolfheze was held this year on Sunday 22 September. In this service special attention is given to the Glider Pilot Regiment, because this unit adopted this memorial as theirs. Two Arnhem veterans of the Glider Pilot Regiment, Ron Johnson and Frank Ashleigh, attended the ceremony.
On the Monday morning after the Arnhem Airborne Commemoration weekend, is short ceremony has been held since several years. In the Mausoleum thirty resistance men are buried. After the Battle of Arnhem, the resistance played a very important part in helping Airborne soldiers in hiding. This was very dangerous to do. On monday 23 September 2019 a service was held. Around hundred people attended this in company of the Arnhem veterans John Jeffries and Sam Kendrick. Mayor of Ede mr. Verhulst held a speech.
On Sunday 22 September 2019 the annual commemoration was held at the Airborne Cemetery in Oosterbeek. Very many people came to the cemetery. Several veterans of the Battle of Arnhem were attending the ceremony.
On 21 September 2018 the Airborne Landings and commemoration was held at Ginkel Heath near Ede, Netherlands. Very many were attending the event because it not only was the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Arnhem, but the weather couldn't have been better. British crown prince Charles and Dutch princess Beatrix attended the ceremony and talked to the veterans after the commemeration.
On Thursday 19 September 2019 a memorial plaque for Hendrika van der Vlist was unveiled at the Schoonoord restaurant in Oosterbeek. During the Battle of Arnhem Hendrika lived with her parents in Hotel Schoonoord. The hotel was in the frontline of the Battle and British soldiers started to use it as a dressing station. Together with other volunteers, Hendrika helped hundreds of wounded British, Polish and German soldiers. The plaque was an initiative by Michiel ter Horst and Sophie Lambrechtsen, children of Kate ter Horst.