It is an indisputable fact that World War II brought remarkable changes in the 20th century. Major leaps were taken in technological sectors of warfare. World War II is the most outrageous and atrocious war ever happened in the history. The exact number of casualties in the war is unknown; however, records state that around 50 million civilians and military officials were killed. The primary opponents were designated as the Axis nations(Germany, Italy, Japan and other smaller nations) and the Allied nations(Britain, Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States of America). The Allies emerged as victors and significant post-war changes were observed including Women’s Rights movement, termination of European Colonialism, and Civil Rights movement in the US.
It’s a known fact that the two superpowers – USA and USSR- rose after the conclusion of World War II to begin a cold war with each other which is still prevalent in today’s date.
1. Adolf Hitler’s nephew, William Hitler, served for US in the navy.
2. The first killing of a German officer in the war was done by a Japanese.
3. A catholic midwife named Stanisława Leszczyńska delivered around 3000 babies during the Holocaust in occupied Poland.
4. The first killing of an American officer in the war was done by a Russian.
5. A child named Calvin Graham was the youngest serviceman in the US army. He lied about his real age while joining the military which was only 12.
6. In Soviet Union, only 20% of the males born in 1923 managed to survive the war.
7. Americans used the name ‘Liberty Steak’ for ‘Hamburger’ during World War II as it sounded German.
8. Founder of the Ford Motor company-Henry Ford, and Adolf Hitler kept each other’s picture frame on their desk.
9. The first bomb dropped by the Allies on Berlin didn’t kill anyone except an elephant in the zoo.
10. After the two atom bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the third target was Tokyo.
11. Around 80% of the total war casualties were from four nations-Russia, China, Germany, Poland; majority of them were women and children.
12. The mass murder of Jews, termed as Holocaust, has been derived from the Greek words “holos” (whole) and “kaustos” (burned).
13. A famous book on the torture and struggle of Jews – Diary of Anne Frank – is written in 60 languages and is taught in schools worldwide.
14. For every five German soldiers that died in the war, four died on the Eastern Front.
15. Lasting for 1939 to 1945, Battle of Atlantic was the longest battle of World War II.
16. The German sigil – Swastika – is an ancient symbol of well being in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain mythology.
17. Germans sunk 2,000 Allied ships at the cost of destruction of their 781 U-boats.
18. In the time span from 1940 to 1945, US budget rose from $1.9 billion to $59.8 billion.
19. Erich Hartmann was a German ace fighter among all the top fighters with 352 kills.
20. The composer of Seig Heil(Nazi Salute) actually attended Harvard and pirated it’s “Fight Song” for the German march.
World War II is the biggest conflict happened till date. The most horrendous genocide ever occured in the history was the Holocaust of Jews led by NSDAP or Nazi party. Though the acts performed by Nazis were merciless, their warfare tactics were a splendid example of technological advancement which makes NSDAP memorabilia highly popular among astute collectors. There are various collector and preserver of NSDAP memorabilia like Lakesidetrader, NSDAPuniforms, Germanmilitaria, etc who deal in genuine antique items at effective prices.
Uniforms of the NSDAP 