5 Little Known Facts About World War II

March 12, 2010 | Featured, Life

The history of World War II is well documented and much more is known about this conflict than any other in history due to the amount of surviving documents and, of course, living testimony. However with such a wealth of information, many of the interesting events and facts about the war are all but forgotten, here are a few examples.

1. Secret Messages from the BBC

The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) was the most listened to radio station in the world during the war. The news in particular had a reputation for its honesty about world events and millions of people throughout Nazi occupied Europe tuned in at great risk to themselves.

At the beginning of certain programs, the BBC would put in what were known as ‘message personnels’, which were coded messages to resistance groups throughout Europe. To most listeners, the messages meant nothing but to the informed few, they could mean anything from ‘blow up a section of railway line’ at a given point, to ‘a new SOE agent will arrive shortly’.

The most awaited secret message by the BBC came with the approach of D-Day and was from the first two lines of a Paul Verlaine couplet. “The long sobs of the violins of Autumn” was the first and told resistance groups to prepare, soon after, the second, “Soothes my heart with a monotonous languor”, told all resistance groups in France that the time to fight had come.

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2. Jewish Lives Saved by Reverse Circumcision

During WW II many Jewish lives were saved by doctors performing operations connected to circumcision. Dr Josef Jaksy would make a small incision on the penis of his patient, then give him a certificate stating that his circumcision was recent and done for medical purposes.
A Polish doctor by the name of Dr Feliks Kanabus went a step further and performed around 140 operations to hide the circumcision of the patient by attaching skin to the penis taken from another part of the body.

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3. Wagner’s Lost Scores

On his 50th birthday, Adolf Hitler was presented with a case containing the original scores of some the music of composer Richard Wagner. A group of industrialists had paid nearly a million marks for the collection which included the scores of ‘Die Feen’, ‘Die Liebesverbot’, ‘Reinzi’, ‘Das Reingold’, and ‘Die Valkure’ and the orchestral sketch of ‘Der Fliegende Hollander’.

Towards the end of the war, Frau Winifred Wagner offered to take them to a safe place for the Fuehrer but he refused saying he had already put them in an extremely secure location; Hitler wasn’t kidding as the manuscripts haven’t been found to this day.

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aurel

oh wow.. those scores must have been destroyed by now, unless they were extremely well hidden o_O
aurel

oh wow.. those scores must have been destroyed by now, unless they were extremely well hidden o_O
Mike Mooney

I would hardly call the BBC coded messages and the fall of Hong Kong “little known”.
Mike Mooney

I would hardly call the BBC coded messages and the fall of Hong Kong “little known”.
ANDTORR

Could have mentioned that a large number of the troops stationed in Hong Kong when it fell were Canadians.
ANDTORR

Could have mentioned that a large number of the troops stationed in Hong Kong when it fell were Canadians.
Veronica

I saw a documentary about the Tower of London once, and they talked about the last executed prisoner. But it’s not forgotten, not according to the guards/storytellers there, they just don’t want to talk about to a group of strangers, because that man could be a relative to them, since WWII is recent enough that direct relatives are still alive. If asked, they would answer, if I remember correctly.
Veronica

I saw a documentary about the Tower of London once, and they talked about the last executed prisoner. But it’s not forgotten, not according to the guards/storytellers there, they just don’t want to talk about to a group of strangers, because that man could be a relative to them, since WWII is recent enough that direct relatives are still alive. If asked, they would answer, if I remember correctly.
judester

The Germans broke the secret code that the English were using in the war and when notified that the code was broken the arrogant British refused to believe that their code was broken. Imagine if you will how many lives were sacrificed for that.

Paul

Oops, the Allied broke the German code! Its all about the Enigma machine…

judester

The Germans broke the secret code that the English were using in the war and when notified that the code was broken the arrogant British refused to believe that their code was broken. Imagine if you will how many lives were sacrificed for that.
HN

judester said:

The Germans broke the secret code that the English were using in the war and when notified that the code was broken the arrogant British refused to believe that their code was broken. Imagine if you will how many lives were sacrificed for that.

—

I’m pretty sure you’re wrong on that one. In fact, the Allies had broken German codes well before the war started because the Germans had bought most of their coding equipment from the Brits and used variations of British codes. The Allies knew what the Germans were going to do before they even did it. The only time when the Allies didn’t know what was about to happen was the Battle of the Bulge as the offensive was planned more locally than the German High Command.
HN

judester said:

The Germans broke the secret code that the English were using in the war and when notified that the code was broken the arrogant British refused to believe that their code was broken. Imagine if you will how many lives were sacrificed for that.

—

I’m pretty sure you’re wrong on that one. In fact, the Allies had broken German codes well before the war started because the Germans had bought most of their coding equipment from the Brits and used variations of British codes. The Allies knew what the Germans were going to do before they even did it. The only time when the Allies didn’t know what was about to happen was the Battle of the Bulge as the offensive was planned more locally than the German High Command.

BB

Actually, that is not quite right either. The German Military used mostly a military version of the Enigma Machine. This Machine was invented by a German Cryptologist shortly after WW1. A civilian version could be bought. This was used by the British for a short time, as well as the Italian, the French and the Spanish. The military Enigma was actually cracked by a polish Team of Cryptologists working for a Section of the polish Government known as the Cypher Bureau or Biuro Szyfrow. When the polish Government decided that its safety could no longer be maintained (in 1939), it gave the secret to Enigma Decoding to the British and Americans. However, German Cryptologists also played with other Cyphers. The Enigma was used mostly only as an everyday device. The most important Messages were entrusted only to One-Time-Pads, which are even today almost impossible to crack. The British and American Cyphers were to my knowledge never cracked. This could be because they used the One-Time-Pad on a more regular basis.

To the Battle of the Bulge I only have to say this. The initial Concept was put forward by Adolf Hitler himself. In charge of Operation were two Field Marshals, one being the Head of the German Army Group B and the otherthe overall Commander of the German Army Command in the West. Both were important Members of the German High Command. Involved in the Affair on the German Side was the 7th Army, the 15th Army, the 5th Panzer Army, and the 6th SS Panzer Army, which included the 1. SS Division Leibstandarte SS Adolf Hitler, Hitler’s Personal Bodyguard Regiment, which had been increased in size to a Panzer Division. In these 30 Division were most of the German Armies last reserves and untouched Regiments. The scale and scope was far above anything the could have planed locally. To keep the Americans and British out of the loop they simply enforced a radio silence.

http://www.k850i.co.uk/ k850i

Must have been quite painful those reverse circumcision, but I guess it was a case of needs must then.
http://www.k850i.co.uk/ k850i

Must have been quite painful those reverse circumcision, but I guess it was a case of needs must then.
Someone

The BBC thing was not a surprise. and the fall of HK was not a “little known fact”, like mike said. Practically every grandma and grandpa knows that, and so do the parents and the children (because i’m one of those children)

i’ve read somewhere else as well about the Hitler recieving a birthday present from Richard Wagner as well. Wagner was said to be a racist — they say he supported the Nazis. Never liked Wagner myself.
Someone

The BBC thing was not a surprise. and the fall of HK was not a “little known fact”, like mike said. Practically every grandma and grandpa knows that, and so do the parents and the children (because i’m one of those children)

i’ve read somewhere else as well about the Hitler recieving a birthday present from Richard Wagner as well. Wagner was said to be a racist — they say he supported the Nazis. Never liked Wagner myself.
colepley

Interestingly, the global eugenics movement (see: human breeding for desirable traits) of the 1930s found the US government and many big-money American names giving their full-fledged monetary support for such research programs. It’s something that gets conveniently swept under the rug as we are more than aware of the Nazi stance on eugenics and ‘race purification.’
colepley

Interestingly, the global eugenics movement (see: human breeding for desirable traits) of the 1930s found the US government and many big-money American names giving their full-fledged monetary support for such research programs. It’s something that gets conveniently swept under the rug as we are more than aware of the Nazi stance on eugenics and ‘race purification.’
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jjpdog

Wasn't Hess held at Spandau Prison?
kling

“They” and you are ignorant. Though Wagner was an antisemite, he certainly did not support the Nazis, because he died already 1883 – about sixty years before Hitler becoming Reichskanzler.
torres1949

Yes, but he flew to Scotland in 1942, so…
http://wwii.ca/page39.html Kevin Newcombe

Late in 1941, the Allies, hoping to deter hostile action by Japan, reinforced their outpost at the Crown colony of Hong Kong. Canada was asked to provide two battalions, and sent 1,975 members from the Royal Rifles of Canada (from Quebec City) and the Winnipeg Grenadiers. They sailed from Vancouver on October 27, 1941, and arrived in Hong Kong November 16.

Some 14,000 Allied troops from the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Canada, Singapore and India defended the Crown colony, including the island of Hong Kong and the adjacent mainland areas of Kowloon and the New Territories. The Canadian battalions, with Britain's Middlesex Regiment, formed the island brigade.

Neither Canadian battalion had battle experience, having served only on garrison duty — the Grenadiers in Jamaica and the Royal Rifles in Newfoundland. Nor had they received all the training required for front-line troops, but it was believed they would have time to complete their training in Hong Kong. Instead, they became the first Canadian soldiers to fight as a unit in the Second World War when Japan almost simultaneously attacked Pearl Harbor, Northern Malaya, the Philippines, Guam, Wake Island and Hong Kong.

The Japanese attacked the mainland positions on December 8 (in North America the date was Dec. 7), and all mainland troops withdrew to Hong Kong on the 11th. On December 18, the Japanese invaded the island. The invasion force was overwhelming in strength, backed with a heavy arsenal of artillery and air support. The Allied troops had no significant air or naval defence, and no hope of being relieved or resupplied. Yet they fought and held out for several days. Governor Young, after being advised that further resistance was futile, surrendered the colony on Christmas Day.

In 17½ days of fighting, 290 Canadians were killed; 493 were wounded. Those who survived were imprisoned in foul conditions in camps in Hong Kong, where another 129 Canadians died. Early in 1943, 1,184 Canadians were taken to Japan for forced labour in industries, including mining. About 135 of them died. In all, more than 550 of the Canadians who embarked for Hong Kong never returned to Canada.

Soton2D

In New Guinea 20,000 japanese troops, including 12,000 men of the South Seas Pacific Regiment ( seasoned veterans) landed at the Gona / Buna area. Opposing them was a paltry 542 Australian soldiers who had had NO training and were ill equipped and under supplied. Any to spare you the diatribe the rest is history!

Soton2D

OHH I suppose for you who do NOT know history, ultimately the Australians were ordered to make a last stand and with fresh reinforcements arriving the Japanese turned around and headed back to where they started from. Later on they were wiped out at their former beach head.

-whatTheHeck

British or Americans captured a German encrypting machine called “Enigma” and because of that they were able to de-cypher German messages.

http://twitter.com/fathorseharry Harry Cunningham

British got there first. The Brits captured three machines beforethe yanks got their first one, unless you believe that lying film U-571

Boruteczko

Enigma was broken by polish mathematicians – Marian Rejewski, Jerzy Różycki and Henryk Zygalski, by the way…

http://fakeplus.com/ Daren

Spy from France help get polish mathematics broken Enigma and 2 weeks before war they send enigma to UK

fact boffin

What people have but is factually incorrect engima was cracked at Bletchly Park by a team of british people recruited from universites and research centers such as mathmaticines. As well the spy being caputered and executed is well now as in the royal armouries in leeds and at least 35 books i have read on WWII

Soton2D

Yes that is absolutely correct. Why do these other people want to make out different? Beats me.

L.N.Dash

What is the point of all these now ?
http://libertyservers.net Dedicated Hosting

The Hong Kong story is incredible. Didnt know about that.
http://twitter.com/fathorseharry Harry Cunningham

“However the worst tragedy occurred when an American submarine sank the ship the ‘Lisbon Maru’,”

A war where American friendly fire killed a large number of allies? Surely not!
anonymous

ASIANS CAN ACTUALLY READ MINDS!!!!!!!!!
they can hear and see what your visually thinking

the reason alot of asians have completely expressionless faces, only associate with asians and dont associate with non asians very much is to avoid accidentally revealing that they can read read minds, if all over a billion asians were to show facial expressions all the time just as much as non asians, associate with non asians much more, and be much more friendly and talkative, then alot of them might accidentally reveal that they can read minds by accidentally showing a facial expression or dirty look when someone thinks, or visually pictures something in their mind they dont like or find astonishing or funny, and if they were all to associate with non asians alot more there would be alot more people around for them to accidentally show facial expressions when those other people think things they dont like, so they only associate with asians so there wont be anyone around for them to see that and have any accidents happen in the first place

think about it, its not normal how alot of them act, and the entire way they act is all to hide their mind reading abilities, it makes perfect sense to do all of that to hide that they can read minds, because all of that is the perfect way to do it!
every single asian on the planet is hiding their mind reading abilities, they value hiding their mind reading abilities more then their own lives!
thats why nobody knows about it!

try thinking, best yet visually picturing in your mind something something absolutely crazy as you possibly can when you are around asians, and try looking for asians who give people particular looks, especially dirty looks for what appears to be for completely no reason, that is them giving people looks when they hear and visually see someone thinking something they dont like, find funny or astonishing
it still happens despite a large number of them having completely expressionless faces all the time, it would just happen alot more if none of them had completely expressionless faces all the time, its not uncommon!

i know this sounds crazy, impossible, and completely unbelievable, BUT IT ISNT CRAZY WHEN ITS TRUE

you have to spread the message!!!
the world has to know about this!!!!
Anonymous

The Nazis were simply put…brutes
Anonymous

she is saying to Hitler ,” Oh Fuhrer ! thank you for getting rid of my in-laws; they were getting to be so a bother. Thank you thank you!~” . The gas showers for them was a wonderful idea ; i loved it.