William Patrick Hitler’s mother was an Irish-born and they both lived in Liverpool until after the end of First World War as his father abandoned them. Later he left for Germany upon his father’s request, and sought to take advantage of his uncle’s rise to power. He would threaten Hitler that he would sell embarrassing stories about the family unless his personal situation improved. After his uncle asked him to relinquish British citizenship for a high ranking job, he left Germany, though still continuing his blackmail and threats. In 1939 he visited the United States with his mother on a lecture tour and managed to join the US Navy after making a special request to Roosevelt. After the Second World War, he changed his name and sought anonymity.(source)
14 During the war, captured German generals sent to Britain as POWs lived in luxury in Trent Park with garden parties and other entertainment. It was done to relax them in captivity. What they didn’t know was that the place was completely bugged with 100 “secret listeners” listening to the conversations as they spilled their secrets, including V2 rocket sites.
The German generals felt that they were being treated so considerably because of their status, and one of them even wrote to his family saying that it was wonderful and that he wished they could be there. One of the British welfare officers, called Lord Aberfeldy, who wasn’t really a lord but an intelligence officer, would run errands for the generals once a week. Among the things the generals revealed, there were also admissions that the German army had taken part in the atrocities and killings of Jews and were guilty of many war crimes, which for 65 years the army had always denied.(source)
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15 The first time the Japanese people ever heard their Emperor’s voice on the radio was when he announced Japan’s surrender in WWII.
The Japanese Emperor made his surrender speech on the radio on August 15, 1945, after informing of his decision to the imperial family three days earlier. It was an unconditional surrender of Japanese military forces. In his speech the Emperor stated that the enemy had begun using atomic bombs which had the power to do incalculable damage to the lives of many innocent people, and that continuing the fight would result in obliteration of the Japanese nation and even result in total extinction of human civilization. The speech also ordered the Japanese to “endure the unendurable” in surrender. His speech, however, was not immediately understood by the common people, as he used a form of language that was mostly understood by well-educated Japanese and traditional samurai families.(source)
16 Poland’s Scouting Association was transformed into an armed resistance force during WWII and fought in Warsaw Uprising, assassinated SS officials and liberated a concentration camp.
Codenamed “Grey Ranks”, the Polish Scouting Association was an underground paramilitary force that actively resisted and fought German occupation in Warsaw until January 27, 1945. They contributed to the resistance operations of the Polish Underground State and worked closely with the Government Delegation for Poland and Home Army Headquarters. Some of its members, the Assault Groups, were among the Home Army’s best-trained troops. The younger scouts were involved in minor sabotages, while the older ones carried out major sabotages, armed resistance and assassinations. The girl scouts formed worked as nurses, liaisons and munition carriers.(source)
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17 French Canadian soldier Leo Major made so much noise that he fooled the Germans into thinking that the Canadian Army was storming the German occupied Dutch city of Zwolle. He then single handedly freed the city capturing more than 80 German soldiers, while the rest fled.
When a Canadian regiment approached the city of Zwolle, the commanding officer sent out Leo Major and his friend Willie Arseneault to scout the German forces and contact Dutch Resistance. However, to prevent destruction of the city, they both decided to try to capture Zwolle alone, but Areseneault was killed by German fire after accidentally giving away their location.
In a rage, Major killed two of the Germans, and then ambushed and captured another soldier. After finding that they both spoke French, he told the German that the Canadian army would start heavy firing early in the morning and gave back his gun in good faith. He then proceeded to run throughout the city firing his machine gun, throwing grenades and making so much noise that the Germans thought it really was the Canadian Army. By 4.30 am, he captured groups of German soldiers several times while the rest retreated. He was awarded Distinguished Conduct Medal for his work.(source)
18 In 1945, after the Second World War, more than 7,000 Nazi sympathizers committed suicide in Berlin alone.
The suicides were committed among civilians, government officials and military personnel during the end of WWII and the final weeks of Nazi Germany. There were several reasons for these mass suicides. In some cases it was a reaction to Hitler’s suicide, there were also other reasons such as loyalty towards the Nazi Party, the nation’s defeat in war, or it was the fear of what would become of them in the Allied occupation of Germany and the fear of being treated harshly at the hands of military personnel of Western and Soviet armies.
Most common method used was cyanide pills which were distributed by the members of Hitler Youth, while some shot themselves. Many women also committed suicide for fear of being raped by Soviet troops or out of shame for being raped.(source)
