Category Archives: World War II

Film Review: “Darkest Hour”

Great, a film about Churchill and about World War II! A movie for which even this student of history can leave the desk for a few hours without a guilty conscience. And off to the cinema I was. There, the first … Continue reading

Posted in Cinema, History, UK, World War II | Tagged , , | 23 Comments

Moving to Montenegro

By now, I have really been staying in Ammerthal, the small village in Bavaria where I grew up, longer than I should have. Rent-free living and a cozy room full of books should actually provide agreeable conditions for a student … Continue reading

Posted in History, Montenegro, Travel, World War II | Tagged , , , | 55 Comments

Random Thoughts (16)

Finland has some weird sports competitions.  Each time I return to Europe, rents have doubled. Tweets cannot change laws, regulations or rules. Each time Donald Trump tries to do so, he should be laughed at. Why can’t Microsoft Windows move … Continue reading

Posted in Bolivia, Czech Republic, Finland, Language, Military, North Korea, Philosophy, Poland, Politics, Religion, Sports, Technology, USA, World War II | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

D-Day Movie Recommendations

Always on 6 June, I have a feeling of gratitude to the more than 160,000 Allied troops that landed in Normandy on 6 June 1944 (D-Day) and marked the beginning of the second phase of the liberation of Europe (after … Continue reading

Posted in Cinema, History, Military, World War II | Tagged , | 14 Comments

Germany 1945-1949

These two films illustrate – with quite drastic footage, you are warned – what the Allied powers thought of Germany immediately after the end of World War II. They did see, correctly in my view, a continuity of German militarism … Continue reading

Posted in Cinema, Cold War, Germany, History, Holocaust, Military, USA, World War II | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Random Thoughts (11)

Mohammad Mostafaei, the lawyer with whom I was arrested in Iran, has written a book. He says I am in it too, but I can’t read Norwegian, so I have to wait for a translation. Does anyone still remember José Echegaray … Continue reading

Posted in Books, France, History, Human Rights, Iran, Language, Law, Mexico, Military, Politics, Sports, Travel, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Sean Spicer explains Gas Chambers

Pro tip: if you want to make historical comparisons, read a bit about history before you do so. Saying about Hitler that “he was not using the gas on his own people the same way that Assad is doing” displays … Continue reading

Posted in France, History, Holocaust, Military, Politics, Syria, USA, World War II | Tagged , , , | 4 Comments

Instagram 1.0

How our grandmothers got their cool Facebook profile photos. (Warsaw, Poland in 1946.)

Posted in History, Photography, Poland, Technology, World War II | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Book Review: “Alone in Berlin” by Hans Fallada

When a novel becomes an international bestseller 62 years after its original publication, there has to be something to it. Jeder stirbt für sich allein by Hans Fallada was published in Germany in 1947 and finally got translated into English … Continue reading

Posted in Books, Germany, History, Holocaust, Politics, World War II | Tagged , , , , | 9 Comments

Random Thoughts (9)

In Bolivia, I spoke with a lawyer about feminicidios, the killing of women by their partners, which carries a higher sentence than a “regular” homicide. Out of curiosity, I looked up the figure for Germany – and was shocked: 331 … Continue reading

Posted in Bolivia, Economics, Germany, History, Human Rights, Immigration Law, Law, Mexico, Military, Music, Poland, Politics, Romania, Russia, Travel, Ukraine, USA, World War II | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment